


Anatomy of a Summer

by harveydent



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-03-06 00:27:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18839896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harveydent/pseuds/harveydent
Summary: “Are you almost done with that?” His voice was tense like he had a million places he’d rather be than this hot, stuffy library on the last day of term. That made one of them.“Done with what?”The stranger exhaled loudly before swiping the book in front of Ed. “This, dumbass. What else would I be talking about?”





	1. the library

 

 

Edward

It was the first genuinely nice day outside, even though it was the middle of May. Students at Gotham University were enjoying this, walking around in short sleeves and shorts. 

 

Practically all of the buildings were empty, as classes had gotten out around noon and most students were heading home to pack up for summer vacation. Suitcases were stacked on sidewalks and every couple minutes someone swore loudly as they tripped over a misplaced duffel bag. 

 

Cars were lined up in front of dorms and apartment buildings with parents and siblings running around wildly. It was absolute chaos. 

 

One student remained perfectly oblivious. 

 

Edward Nygma quietly stepped through the silent library. He pushed his glasses up his face as they almost slipped off his nose. He made a mental note to tighten the screws in the arms when he went back to his apartment. 

 

The sounds of the clamoring outside suddenly came through as the student librarian opened the windows. Ed frowned.

 

“So much for peace and quiet.” He mumbled before continuing to the back of the large room. 

 

Since he came from a poor family, Ed was used to not being able to afford most of his hyper obscure, expensive textbooks. So instead he usually studied from the old editions kept in the back corner of the library. It had saved him thousands of dollars and no one else knew about their presence. 

 

Ed had only found out about them while trying to memorize the library’s organization system. His first couple weeks at Gotham University had been lonely, and he’d come up with ways to keep him self busy and out of the dorm. So he’d spent a lot of time here. 

 

It also didn’t hurt that he found the student librarian, Kristen Kringle cute. 

 

The redhead looked up as if she knew Ed was thinking about her. He waved but she just turned away, shaking her head. Not out of the ordinary for their repertoire. 

 

Finally reaching the desired shelf, Ed grabbed the textbook needed for his summer class and headed back to an empty table. They were all empty, but Ed preferred the one by the window. 

 

Sitting down, Ed pulled out a notebook and some pens and settled in to do a couple hours of studying. 

 

His roommate had made fun of him for studying before all the finals had even been graded. 

 

_“You seriously need to lighten up.” Jonathan had said around the spoon of cereal in his mouth. “This thing where you spend all your free time at the library ain’t it.”_

_Ed fidgeted at his place at their small dining room table. It had a few dents from when Jon’s buddies came over and got shit faced. Those were nights where Ed made sure to be out of the apartment._

_“Also who takes summer classes for fun?” Jonathan pushed his long orange hair out of his face before re-situating his faded brown baseball cap. This did nothing to help tame his wild bangs._

_“You’re just mad because you have to retake Ethics this summer.” Ed said, playing with the apple in front of him. Jon huffed angrily._

_“You bet your ass I am! That professor screwed me at the last second-“_

A sudden slamming noise brought Ed back to where he was. The library. A desk. An empty notebook page. 

 

A boy was arguing with Kristen. Ed couldn’t see the stranger, but the girl looked unnerved. 

 

A now closed door behind the boy showed where the loud bang had come from.

 

The librarian then pointed her finger up at Ed who’s face flushed red as the guy whirled around to face him. His eyes narrowed.

 

He had a sharp face with very intense eyes that were currently staring daggers into Ed, who was suddenly reminded of a stuffed hawk that had sat in one of his labs in High School. Those eyes seemed to transfix him, much like a cobra paralyzed its prey with fear. Before he could do anything, the stranger was standing right next to him. 

 

“Are you almost done with that?” His voice was tense like he had a million places he’d rather be than this hot, stuffy library on the last day of term. That made one of them. 

 

“Done with what?” 

 

The stranger exhaled loudly before swiping the book in front of Ed. “This, dumbass. What else would I be talking about?”

 

He thumbed through the textbook before pulling out his phone, taking pictures of each page of the first chapter. 

 

“My chair.” Ed said, trying not to seem like an idiot. Because he wasn’t. 

 

The dark haired boy glanced up at him through his long bangs. “Theres literally 60 empty chairs here.” 

 

Before Ed could explain that the library actually had 83 chairs (counting the ones in the computer lab) the stranger slammed the textbook shut. “Whatever.”

 

He tossed the book back on the table and walked out of the library. Only on his exit did Ed notice the boy had a rather pronounced limp on his right side. 

 

“God he’s so annoying.” The librarian huffed before going back to her magazine. 

 

The library was quiet again, with only the dull cacophony from the movers outside. A fan in the corner hummed as it shook with its own weight. A slight tapping distracted Ed before he realized it was his leg shaking. 

 

He slowly stood up and put the book away, knowing that with this new mystery there was no way he could pay attention to the anatomy textbook that wouldn’t even be relevant for another week. As he stepped up to the front counter, the redhead looked up at him. 

 

“Can I help you, Nygma?”

 

Usually Ed would be delighted that she’d continued to remember his name but he was distracted. “What was that boys name?”

 

She rolled her eyes and went back to her reading material. “Oswald? Geez you really don’t get out much, do you?”

 

But it wasn’t a question. She knew that Ed spent most of his free time here. She’d seen him enough to realize that he didn’t really have friends or a life out of the academia. 

 

“So… everyone knows him?” Ed asked, rocking on his heels. Maybe he didn’t have to bother Kristen much longer. He was sure she’d appreciate that. 

 

The look Kristen shot him proved he’d asked a dumb question. 

 

“Thank you for your time, Ms. Kringle.” Ed said jovially as he pushed his way out the library. 

 

“Just because I’m a T.A. doesn’t mean you have to call me Ms.” She called after him, but he was already down the hallway. 


	2. rainy day at the cafe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ivy/ecco inspired by Anya's fic. 
> 
> also can you tell I just started working at Starbucks? lol

It was raining outside. The dull thrum of the rain on the roof added a relaxing filter to the slow jazz music playing inside the coffee shop. The building was tucked behind the science center and the other, more popular cafe was across campus.

 

This meant that the dining area was practically empty. Some girl was typing away at a beat up laptop while nursing a warm tea. She had headphones in, so she couldn’t notice the argument happening behind the counter. 

 

“I’m just saying what’s the point of regulation on scientific research? If the scientist is going to publish everything anyways, why does the government need to stick their noses in our business?” A tall boy complained. He ran his hands through his almost bleached white hair, pushing the spiky bangs out of his eyes. 

 

The man across sighed before leaning back on the counter. “I’ve told you Victor, there’s regulations we need to follow. The regulatory policies are there to ensure safety to both the scientist and the general populi. This also prevents people from conducting unethical experiments.”

 

Victor scoffed before shoving his hands in his black jeans’ pockets. “With science the ends justify the means. Who’s to say what scientific breakthroughs we’ve missed because of ‘ethics’. We could have cured cancer by now, Lucius.”

 

There was a beat of silence. It was a commonly known fact that Victor’s girlfriend was in the hospital with a terminal illness. He’d even started taking his classes online so he could spend more time with her. He said she practically wrote all his history essays last semester. 

 

“What do you think, Ed?” Lucius asked suddenly, trying to change the subject. He turned towards the lanky figure in the corner of the building. 

 

Ed spun around, broom in hand. He’d been trying to scrape some gum off the floor with the stiff bristles. The gum seemed to be winning. “Think about what? Sorry.”

 

“Government regulation in the pursuit of scientific breakthroughs. Yay or nay?” Victor asked sourly. He seemed to be lost in thought. 

 

“Er-“ Ed was never good with this. Communicating normally was hard enough, but now it was like choosing sides. Whoever he didn’t agree with would be annoyed. Ed tried so hard every day not to be considered annoying but it was always an uphill battle. “I don’t know.”

 

Victor huffed loudly before turning to the espresso machine behind him. He punched a couple buttons and started putting together what looked to be a macchiato of some sort. Probably for himself, since the man practically lived on coffee. 

 

Lucius shrugged before straightening his uniform. The man was always impeccably dressed and had worked out a way to keep from staining his apron. Ed glanced down at his own, which held battle scars from when the others had made him fix the cold brew machine two weeks ago. 

 

The doorbell ringed as a girl ran inside. She shook off her red umbrella and then hung it on the coatrack by the door. 

 

Lucius mumbled something about checking inventory in the back and disappeared with the manager’s clipboard. 

 

The girl walked up to the counter and smiled at Victor expectedly. He sighed before putting down his iced macchiato. “How can I help you?”

 

“Can I get a rainbow frappuccino with extra whipped cream and sprinkles?” The girl seemed excited, even though she was practically soaked. Her blonde hair looked like yarn and was falling out of two messy buns on her head. There was even a small puddle forming where she was standing and Ed was already grabbing a wet floor sign.

 

Victor didn’t seem impressed but he continued to nod as the girl also grabbed a small boxed lunch and a banana. “Oh! And another of whatever she had!”

 

The girl pointed towards the only other customer, the redhead with her headphones in. Victor looked lost but Ed stepped in. “The medicine ball tea? Yeah we’ll get that started for you.” 

 

The blonde grinned at Ed before pulling out a bright credit card to pay. 

 

“Can we get a name for the order?” Victor asked, blue sharpie hovering over the clear cup. 

 

“Ecco.” The girl winked as if she’d told a joke. Victor blinked and then wrote ‘Eco’ in his neat, clinical handwriting. He liked to purposely misspell names for customers that annoyed him. 

 

Ed stepped back to start pouring the different ingredients into the blender for her drink. It was an obnoxious concoction of different juices and syrups. Everyone hated making it, except for Ed. He saw it as a fun game, keeping the different colors from mixing. Victor always ended up with an ugly green because he was too impatient to let the heavier syrups settle. 

 

After a very loud blending session, Ed grabbed both drinks before walking over to the table with the two women. The redhead had taken her headphones out and was talking animatedly with the blonde. Their hands were intertwined which made him smile. 

 

“Here you go, Ecco.” Ed put the drinks down between them, making sure they were in front of the right person. He flashed them his best customer service smile before turning to leave. 

 

“You’re welcome Ed.” A melodic voice said.

 

He froze before slowly facing the table again. “How did you know my name?”

 

“Its on your name tag, dumbass.” The redhead didn’t look up from her computer and Ecco snickered. 

 

“Don’t mind Ivy, she just hates everyone,” Ecco leaned in with a hand cupping her mouth and whispered “except for me.”

 

Ecco winked again before pulling a metal straw from her backpack. She started slurping happily and Ed watched all his hard work go up the straw in a vicious spiral.

 

“Since it’s a rainbow drink, what color is my tongue?” She asked before sticking her tongue out. It was a muddy brown. The same color of Victor’s failed versions. “Is it ugly?”

 

“N-no its just like… brown?” Ed muttered, scared to disappoint her. But he needn’t worry because she just started laughing. 

 

“Then what’s even the point of having it all layered if its just going to turn poopy brown?” She kept sipping the drink, chuckling to herself. 

 

Ed didn’t have an answer so he just backed away and went to grab a mop for the puddle Ecco had left at the counter. He passed Lucius who was sitting on a milk crate in the back, counting syrup containers. Ed did not envy his assistant manager position, perfectly content to just do small tasks.

 

He decided to mop the whole dining area since he had the bucket out, and they’d need to do it in an hour when they closed. It barely took ten minutes since they’d been dead all day.

 

But a storm in the first week of summer vacation will do that. 

 

When Ed returned to the counter, he found Victor sitting on a shelf with a book propped on his lap. A quick glance said it was some chemical engineering textbook. Usually he let Ed read over his shoulder but tonight didn’t seem like a good night for that. Victor had been in a bad mood all day and clearly just wanted to get his shift over with. 

 

Ed himself pulled out the notes he’d taken from the textbook in the library. He’d had to return the next day, since that strange boy had interrupted him. 

 

Just the thought of this Oswald sent a little jolt of electricity up Ed’s spine. He hadn’t seen the intimidating boy again, even though it’d been over a week. Either he didn’t live on campus or he didn’t go out much. 

 

He’d even bugged his roommate about him, but Jonathan wasn’t very helpful. 

 

_“What do you want with him?” Jonathan asked, barely looking up from the tv. His video game made a loud noise and the other boy on the couch cursed. “Take that Jerome!”_

_“Nothing, I just ran into him at the library and wanted to know more about him.” Ed had to speak louder as Jerome had started swearing._

_“Trust me,” Jonathan made eye contact with Ed for emphasis. “You don’t want to mess with that guy. He’s genuinely fucked up. Works for the mob. Some say he’s killed like 4 people already.”_

_Suddenly Jerome whooped as the screen flashed ‘player 2 wins!’ and Jonathan screeched before throwing his controller on the floor. “I want a rematch! I was talking to my dumb roommate.”_

_Ed left the apartment right after that, trying to ignore the sounds of both boys arguing. At least he’d gotten some info._

Movement caught Ed’s eye as he focused back on where he was. 

 

Ivy was packing up her laptop and putting a large brown plaid raincoat on while Ecco was throwing away their garbage. 

 

“Bye Ed!” She waved before grabbing her hanging umbrella. “See ya later!”

 

Ed watched as she opened the umbrella outside and both girls walked away, huddled together. They continued talking animatedly before disappearing behind a corner up the street. 

 

The blonde boy stretched before chuckling. “Didn’t think I’d see the day you made some friends.”

 

Ed frowned. “I have friends.”

 

“Coworkers and roommates don’t count, Ed.” Lucius said, strolling out of the back room. His knees looked a little mussed as he’d probably been kneeling in the cooler. 

 

“What is this, gang up on me hour?” Ed crossed his arms. He was sick of people always making fun of him just because he didn’t get out much. It wasn’t his fault his roommate always had such insufferable people over and he didn’t have enough money to actually go to bars to meet people. 

 

Victor rolled his eyes before shrugging on his pale denim jacket. “Don’t take it so personally Ed, geez.”

 

Lucius sighed before hitting the switch to turn off the music. “Did you guys do all the wrap up work?”

 

“Duh,” Victor said. He was shoving his book into a small messenger bag. “Lucius there’s been like nothing to do all day. We finished everything a while ago. All we had to do was the dishes from those girls.”

 

Ed rocked on his heels. He’d already stocked up all the cups and sealed all the coffee and syrups for the next day. 

 

He wondered if Jerome would still be at their apartment. Probably, it was a Saturday night after all. When most people had plans beyond going home and getting ready for class on Monday.

 

“Alright then, I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for your help.” Lucius said and Victor practically ran out the door, in the direction of the campus hospital.

 

“See you later Lucius.” Ed waved goodbye before opening his own green umbrella and stepping out of the shop. Lucius locked the door behind him before disappearing in the back, probably to finish up income reports or whatever the managers do after they left. 

 

The rain was still coming down pretty hard so it felt like a longer walk than it actually was to his apartment building. Ed made it all the way home before realizing that he’d left his notes at the coffee shop.

 

He groaned. Guess he was going back to the library.


	3. a new friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Jon isn't a great roommate, ed has a Morning, and I am in love with Harvey dent

Monday morning found Ed running late, which was preposterous. He could count on one hand how many times he’d been late in his life. It just didn’t happen. 

 

But today it had. Jonathan had overloaded a circuit, causing the entire building’s electricity to be shut off in the middle of the night. Thus, Ed’s alarm clock hadn’t gone off and he woke up fifteen minutes after his first class had started. 

 

The classroom was on the second floor of the science building and had about thirty students milling about. Usually classes were much larger, but most of the student body had gone home for summer break.

 

Ed practically fell through the door, causing the class to jump and one girl to scream. “I’m so sorry I’m late there was a circuit malfunction-“

 

The teacher waved him off. “Its fine. It's the first day, just don’t make a habit of running late.”

 

Ed nodded and shuffled to the only open seat in the room. It was right next to a tall, muscular man who’s jawline was so sharp Ed unconsciously touched his own to compare.

 

The teacher started where she left off, explaining the class syllabus point by point. Ed hated this part of the school year. There was no learning, just hopping from class to class hearing the same speech. 

 

The handsome man next to him leaned over and whispered “Nice job. I think you distracted her from the whole ‘icebreaker’ spiel she was just getting into.”

 

“Thank goodness,” Ed whispered back. “I hate doing those.”

 

The man laughed. “You know, me too.”

 

The teacher glared in their direction, and both boys pretended there was something fascinating on the ceiling they hadn’t noticed before. But they were doing a terrible job at pretending not to smile. 

 

Almost as if she’d heard what they’d been whispering about, the teacher started writing on the board. “And now since we’re going to be spending all summer together, lets learn a little more about each other shall we?”

 

Four bullet points were listed on the board:

 

  1. _Name and Major_

  2. _Fun fact about yourself_

  3. _Why you took this class_

  4. _What you hope to learn_




“Now I want you to talk to the person next to you. You’ll be introducing each other to the class, so make sure you cover all the topics!” The teacher clapped her hands and started drifting around the room, which had filled with a small murmur as students began talking.

 

The handsome man sighed before turning fully to Ed. “We should just pump this out, right? I mean we both hate doing this.”

 

Ed nodded passively, already panicking about having to address the entire class himself. 

 

“I’ll go first. My name is Harvey Dent and I’m majoring in pre-law. A fun fact about me is that I’m like insanely good at coin tricks. I’m taking this class because I procrastinated and now I need a gen ed to graduate. I hope to learn how to pass this class while still having a fun summer."

 

The man spoke quickly yet clearly. Ed could already see him listing off information in a courthouse. It was very impressive. 

 

Harvey looked around, surveying the room. “You should probably go now, I don’t want to look stupid not knowing anything about you.”

 

“Uhh my name is Ed Nygma. I’m majoring in forensic science and a fun fact about me is…” he was lost for a moment. “I didn’t grow up in Gotham. I took this class because its a prerequisite for all the interesting classes. I hope to learn how different body systems interact in a mutually beneficial way.”

 

Harvey whistled. “So you’re a geek, huh?”

 

Ed frowned. 

 

“I don’t see why you’re taking it like that,” Harvey explained and his voice was placating. “I just mean you already know a lot about science. You’re prepped for the course.”

 

There was a beat of silence before Ed visibly relaxed. “Yeah I actually read the first couple chapters before today. I couldn’t wait.”

 

Before he could continue, the teacher was calling attention. She pointed out the table in front of Ed and told them to speak. 

 

There were a couple girls who were obviously freshmen. They argued over who got to speak first and spent so much time complaining about talking that they would’ve been done if they’d just gone quickly. Ed couldn’t help calculate how much money in tuition he was wasting a minute by listening to these idiots. 

 

Suddenly it was their turn. Harvey stepped up, ever the public speaker. “This is Ed. He’s majoring in forensics and is taking this class to pursue that field. He wants to learn about the different ways body systems work together. Oh also he didn’t grow up in Gotham.”

 

There was a polite smattering of applause before everyone was staring at Ed. He gulped before speaking. “This uh is Harvey. Dent. He’s majoring in pre-law. He’s really good at coin tricks and is taking this class as a gen ed. He wants to learn how to balance this class while getting ready for graduation.”

 

Even though he was used to these stupid icebreaker exercises, it didn’t mean that it got any easier to do. 

 

There was a couple more people who went before a familiar voice had Ed whirling around. 

 

“-and he can do some really weird thing with his feet I don’t think I can say. He’s taking this class to learn about anatomy? I don’t know that’s a dumb question.”

 

The bird boy from the library was here. In his class. Ed was frozen in place, gaping at the stranger. 

 

Oswald. 

 

“Oswald that’s enough. Its been less than an hour and I’m already sick of your sass.” The teacher didn’t seem as impressed with his blasé attitude.

 

He didn’t seem super concerned, and just collapsed back onto the lab stool. He shared a swift secret handshake with the bald boy next to him and Ed’s heart constricted. 

 

Why hadn’t he sat next to Oswald? Why couldn’t his alarm have gone off on time so he could be the one sitting next to the intense man, sharing the same air?

 

The rest of the class spoke but Ed paid them no mind. He was too busy trying to memorize the strange geometry of Oswald’s hair. The bangs were swept down, almost obscuring those piercing eyes. But the crown was pulled up in a way that reminded Ed of plumage. Small purple highlights glistened in the cheap fluorescent lights as his head turned to face him. 

 

They locked eyes and those impossibly clear eyes narrowed. 

 

Ed quickly looked away. He pretended to read some lab safety poster for a couple minutes before daring a glance back at Oswald. 

 

Who was still staring at him. 

 

Ed’s spine went stiff as the same effect from the library took hold. He was frozen, transfixed, staring into those eyes. He barely noticed someone saying his name until they shook his shoulder. 

 

“Huh?” He said stupidly, turning back towards the front. 

 

“I said,” Harvey began, slightly annoyed. “That sounds fine with me.”

 

Ed simply blinked a couple times. He had no idea what Harvey was talking about. 

 

Harvey looked pained as he ran his hands through his neat, dark hair. “The teacher said whoever you did intros for was going to be your lab partner. I said that sounds fine with me. Unless you want to switch?”

 

He seemed indifferent to the idea, but was just trying to be nice in offering. Ed glanced back to see Oswald and the bald boy next to him talking quietly. The other man laughed loudly, and Ed got a glimpse of Oswald’s smile. They seemed to know each other already.

 

“I’d love to be lab partners.” Ed said, turning back to Harvey. The other boy seemed relieved. 

 

“Thank god. You seem to know what you’re doing and I really just want to half-ass this class, if we’re being honest.” Harvey fixed his hair again and Ed wondered if he had a narcissistic streak. “But I’ll help you out in other ways to make up for it. I’m not an asshole.”

 

“Help like what?” Ed asked, suddenly curious. 

 

“I don’t know yet, but I have connections. I’ll figure out what you need and I’ll help you with that. I’m good with people, ya know?” Harvey held out his hand. “Is it a deal? You help me pass this class and I’ll help you in some equally important, to be determined way?”

 

Ed glanced back at Oswald, who was already packing up to leave even though there was still another hour left in class. 

 

He already had an idea on what Harvey could help him with.  

 

Turning back, Ed shook his new lab partner’s hand firmly. 

 

“Its a deal."


	4. a proposition

Between the coffee shop and his summer classes, Ed was busy every day. 

 

This helped him in that it distracted him from obsessing over Oswald. The man occupied Ed’s every waking moment almost to a point where he was becoming self aware. 

 

No stranger to hyper fixations, Ed made a conscious effort to distract himself. But this was near impossible when he had to see the man three times a week in class.

 

At least Harvey was becoming a good influence. The law student talked almost as much as Ed did, which was saying something. 

 

Harvey seemed to hop from subject to subject quickly as if he had two competing trains of thought. It was almost fascinating seeing the man carry on by himself. 

 

He was leaning forward, looking over Ed’s notes and remarking how detailed they were. “Jesus Ed! Do you just read dictionaries for fun? I’m literally a law student and don’t know half these words.”

 

The large anatomic model stood on the table between them and it was partially obscuring Harvey’s face. It lined up perfectly and gave the impression that half of his face was missing. When Ed pointed this out, Harvey laughed. “It’d probably be easier to learn the facial muscles since I’d have to stare at them all day.”

 

Ed smiled and looked back down at Harvey’s lab book. Since he couldn’t afford what was essentially a disposable book of worksheets, Harvey let Ed copy his book at the student center so he could still get full credit in the course. 

 

When Ed expressed his gratitude Harvey merely laughed. “Dude I study your notes more than the actual textbook. It’s only fair.”

 

The next couple weeks followed in this fashion, with Ed and Harvey passing the lectures by sharing notes and small conversations written in the margins of the papers. 

 

Ed didn’t realize how much he’d come to rely on the handsome student before he was suddenly gone. He panicked and texted Harvey when he didn’t show up to class. 

 

_Ed: are you coming to class???_

_Harvey: dude I told you last week that I’m doing interviews downtown for law programs. I’ll be back in two weeks_

_Ed: hnnngh okay_

_Harvey: you good?_

_Ed: yeah haha no problem_

_Harvey: cool. Can you send any notes you take? I don’t want to fall behind lol_

_Ed: yeah of course_

_Harvey: thanks bud. You’re a real one_

 

Without his study buddy, the anatomy class became almost impossible to endure. And without Harvey’s lab book, Ed’s grades started to slip. 

 

After a pop quiz where Ed got a B, he gave up.

 

Twenty minutes after class ended found him entering the library for the first time in a while and Kristen seemed shocked that he was there. 

 

“I thought you died,” she said truthfully. “You’ve never stayed away this long.”

 

Deciding to overanalyze her response later, Ed merely grimaced. “I found someone to let me use their textbook so I haven’t _needed_ to come back.”

 

Truthfully, he’d been avoiding the place since it was on the extremely short list Ed had labeled ‘places likely to run into oswald’. So far the list was the library, the science building and a reserved question marked for wherever the man lived. 

 

There was an awkward silence as Ed decided enough time had passed where it wouldn’t be rude to walk away. 

 

He sat down at his usual table underneath the stairs to the second floor. The only books here were old almanacs which had a thick coat of dust on top. They dated back to when Gotham was just a small fishing town. Ed had considered reading them but had never found himself _that_ bored. 

 

He had barely opened the old anatomy textbook before someone in front of him sighed loudly. Just by the scuffed combat boots Ed could see in his periphery, Ed knew exactly who was standing over him. 

 

“Why the fuck are you here?” Oswald asked. But he didn’t sound angry just… tired. This made Ed look up.

 

The man seemed to have just rolled out of bed, even though it was near the end of lunch. His hair was still styled but in a ’slept with the hair gel still in’ way. 

 

Ed purposely avoided looking directly into his eyes. “Because I’m a student too? Other people use the library.”

 

Oswald smirked. “Oh so you have a mouth on you, huh. I always pegged you as the quiet, shy type.”

 

He sat down in the chair across from Ed. It was the seat closest to the window and was fully obscured from the front desk by the stairs. He leaned against the window sill with his arm. 

 

“Sorry to disappoint.” Ed ground out. Having the object of his unwilling obsession so close was proving too big a distraction. His eyes followed the man’s every move. 

 

“No, not disappointed just… different.”

 

Ed frowned. He didn’t like being called different. That was the word his parents whispered when they thought he couldn’t hear. That was the word that had been hurled at him since the second grade when he’d brought in a dead bird for show and tell. 

 

“Anyways,” Oswald leaned back in his chair putting him right by the window. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it with an engraved zippo. “I’ve come to really like this spot and I don’t really want company here. 

 

He blew a cloud of smoke out the open window. 

 

“I need to use this book.” Ed said. 

 

He was starting to dislike talking to Oswald. He much preferred watching the way the cigarette rolled along his lips, or the long fingers that seemed to command his chair to stay in place. 

 

Oswald chuckled before taking another drag. “You broke too?”

 

Ed gaped at him. “What do you-“

 

“Four hundred dollars for some over glorified picture book. The university can suck my dick if they think I’m that much of an idiot.” Ed blushed at that. “Plus I watch you practically cream yourself over that guy’s textbook. It’s not that hard to figure out you can’t afford it.”

 

Multiple responses flitted through Ed’s head before he blurted “I do NOT cream myself over books!”

 

Someone in the room coughed and Ed remembered where they were. He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Besides why are you watching me?”

 

A smirk crept across Ed's face, some form of pride blooming in his chest. So he wasn’t the only one. But it quickly disappeared at Oswald’s loud scoff. “You wish.”

 

Both men were silent for a couple minutes. Ed was trying to decide if he wanted to yell at Oswald or kiss him so he would stop talking. 

 

He yelped as Oswald moved into the seat next to him. 

 

“You really need to lighten up, Nygma.” The man said before flicking the stub of his cigarette out the window. 

 

Barely a couple seconds later, Kristen appeared. Her hands were on her hips and she looked furious. “Oswald are you fucking serious?”

 

“What did I do this time?” He held his hands up, the picture of innocence. 

 

Kristen stalked over to the window and slammed it shut before whirling around. “Smoking? In my library?”

 

Oswald looked absolutely scandalized. “How dare you accuse me of something so could and disruptive! I wasn’t doing anything, was I Ed?”

 

Both heads turned towards the tall boy and he froze mid pen stroke. “Err… no?”

 

Kristen crossed her arms. “Very convincing, Ed. If you’re going to defend this one I suggest you learn how to lie first.”

 

Oswald schooled his expression. “How dare you accuse my associate of being a bad liar? Why just five minutes ago we were talking about how he gets off to books and he-“

 

Ed coughed loudly and Kristen’s face turned almost the same shade as her hair. She threw her hands up angrily. “I’m done with both of you! Oswald if I catch you smoking again, you’re banned. End of story.”

 

She stalked away and Oswald whistled lowly. 

 

“Do you think she’s that bitchy to everyone?”

 

“In her defense, you were smoking.” Ed mumbled, trying to focus on the anatomy book. 

 

“Do you have to take the fun out of everything? Jesus.” Oswald grumbled. 

 

But he stopped talking for once and even leaned over to look at the book. Ed slid it over slightly to make it easier for him to read but was secretly glad Oswald didn’t move further away. 

 

After about a half hour, Ed glanced over at Oswald’s notebook. It was practically blank with only a couple of small doodles. He raised an eyebrow. 

 

Oswald must have noticed his expression because he smiled. “I have a proposition for you.”

 

Ed’s stomach did a somersault and his muscles clenched. “W-what?”

 

“I was hoping I could convince you to let me use your notes.” It was obvious that Oswald was used to talking his way into whatever he wanted. And he was used to getting it. 

 

“What would I get out of it?” Ed asked slowly. He didn’t really see why he would just give away his notes. And a smaller voice said if he did this then it would affect his friendship with Harvey in some way. 

 

“I don’t know, we can work that out?” Oswald was still smiling in a way that showed he expected Ed to say yes. To just give in to his request because it was him who was asking. 

 

But years of being taken advantage of left Ed with an incredibly spiteful streak. 

 

“No. I don’t think so.”

 

It was quiet for a couple seconds. Ed realized this was how studying in the library should have sounded. 

 

“What?” Oswald’s voice was no longer pleasant. It held a sharp tone, as if he was holding something back. 

 

“I said no. I already have a study partner and quite frankly you’ve been incredibly rude this entire afternoon.” Ed couldn’t believe what was coming out of his mouth. He was standing up for himself, which was already out of the ordinary. But it was to Oswald. The man he’d been obsessing over for weeks now. The man he had assumed he’d say yes to anything to. 

 

But as they always say, you should never met your heroes. Oswald’s attitude and distinct lack of respect to others both thrilled and irritated Ed. He felt that if the man had been rude to anyone other than Kristen he would have let it slide. He'd always had a soft spot for her.

 

“Ah yes, your study partner.” Oswald was smiling again but in a very unfriendly way. “The lawyer. Where is he? Did he leave you behind? Found you too annoying?”

 

Ed’s face turned red and he finally made eye contact with Oswald. The man’s eyes were dark, almost murderous and were staring into him. He felt warm, but not scared or transfixed. 

 

“Or maybe he thought you were a boring lay? I don’t see why someone would fuck someone else just for their lab notes, but hey to each their ow-“ Oswald couldn’t finish his statement as Ed had slapped him across the face. 

 

The loud clap echoed across the library and the soft murmuring stopped instantly. Kristen rushed over to see Ed furiously shoving things in his bag, including the textbook. He looked up at her and said “I’m taking this.”

 

She didn’t stop him, too busy staring at the red handprint on Oswald’s cheek. 

 

The man looked absolutely stunned, his hand reaching up to gingerly touch his face. 

 

“Fuck you, Oswald Cobblepot.” Ed said through newly formed tears and he stormed out of the library. 


	5. car ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oof don't kill me I promise nygmob is endgame we just have some angst to slog through because these boys are dumb and can't communicate to save their lives

The sun was just beginning to set and the coffee shop was bathed in a deep red glow. It blended beautifully with the orange and yellow decorations Lucius had put up to celebrate summer vacation. 

 

The man in question was wiping down the counters behind the bar, getting ready to close. His usually immaculate clothes were wrinkled and dirty from doing extra work today to cover for Ed. At the thought of the boy he looked behind him at the dishwashing station at the end of the hall.

 

A lone figure was hunched over the sink, his shoulders shaking in quiet sobs. The boy had been like this ever since he came into work, eyes red. If it wasn’t Ed Nygma, Lucius would’ve suspected drug use. But this kid was squarer than a rubix cube. 

 

Victor walked in through the front door, returning from taking the trash to the dumpster next door. “He still back there?”

 

“Yeah.” Lucius sighed.

 

Both men were frowning. Ed was a weird guy but they still cared about him. And it was obvious that he was hurting. But every time either one of them approached him they got a thinly veiled insult. Victor had joked that he’d never heard Ed swear before but Lucius had hushed him.

 

“Sooo,” Victor crossed his arms. “What are we going to do?”

 

“What can we do?”

 

There was a loud groan of frustration from the back room followed by a loud bang. Victor’s eyes widened. “Did you try sending him home?”

 

“Yeah I did,” Lucius sighed. “Right after he broke that third mug. But he just ranted about how he needs a ‘distraction’ and honestly? I think he’s right. So I’m just keeping him in the back so the customers don’t see him.”

 

“What customers?” Victor said dryly. He was right, of course. They’d barely sold anything today. Genuinely they didn’t need Ed to have even come in but he stormed in and refused to go home. 

 

Lucius hushed him quickly as Ed stalked up towards them. “Everything okay, Ed?”

 

The boy just stared angrily at them. His eyes were still red and puffy and he sniffled every couple seconds. It was almost endearing how hard he was trying to pretend he wasn’t crying. But him lashing out at them had removed all the charm. “I need to leave now.”

 

“What?” Victor blurted and almost dropped the trash bag he was holding. 

 

A set of headlights arced across the wall as a car parked directly in front of the store. 

 

“My ride is here.” Ed said softly before slowly taking off his apron. His front was absolutely soaked with water from the dishwasher.

 

“Okay Ed. Thank you for coming in today.” Lucius wrote down the time as Ed just walked mechanically out the door without clocking out. He hadn’t clocked in either. “Hope you feel better.”

 

Victor whistled. “Never seen him so upset.”

 

“Yeah.” Lucius agreed. “And I never want to again.”

* * *

 As Ed climbed into the black car he suddenly realized how awful he looked.  His hair was absolutely disheveled, his glasses were covered in splatters of water, his clothes were soaked, and he smelled like cheap soap. But it was too late, the doors had already auto-locked and was pulling away. He watched his chained bike disappear behind them. 

 

Suddenly all the anger and hurt he’d been feeling turned to sadness and nerves. 

 

“Thank you for meeting me.” Ed whispered. He knew if he tried to speak any louder his voice would crack and it would be obvious that he’d been crying since that afternoon. Since the library. 

 

More tears threatened to spill and for the hundredth time that day Ed cursed his body for its biological functions.  How dare it betray his true feelings to the world, open for anyone to see them. He clenched his fists tightly to distract himself. 

 

“No problem.” Harvey Dent said casually. He was looking behind his left shoulder, checking the lane before he merged onto the highway. “What are friends for, right?”

 

Ed laughed stupidly and the movement made the pools in his eyes spill over. He quickly wiped them, hoping to god Harvey hadn’t noticed. “I guess we are friends."

 

“Of course we’re friends Ed. I don’t know if you know this but I don’t really have a lot of people I consider friends. Like yeah I know a lot of people and they all like me because like,” Harvey flashed a smile at Ed who just stared. “Who doesn’t like me? But _my_ friend list is short. And you’re there, buddy."

 

It was like his smile was contagious as the corners of Ed’s mouth quirked up slightly. “I’m glad. I consider you a friend too.”

 

He just failed to mention that Harvey was his only friend. 

 

_‘Coworkers and roommates don’t count, Ed.’_

A comfortable silence settled over them and Harvey turned on the radio until some soft jazz started playing. Ed looked at him incredulously and Harvey laughed. “It’s my dad’s car so its my dad’s CD’s.”

 

Ed nodded although he didn’t really understand. His family had never owned a car, and his father certainly wouldn’t have loaned it to him if he could. 

 

“So are you going to tell me what this is about?” Harvey asked softly. His eyes flicked to Ed in the rearview mirror who flinched at the question. “You don’t have to tell me if you aren’t comfortable but you’re the one that texted me. You seemed pretty upset.”

 

Just at the reminder that he’d been crying, Ed almost started crying again. But he held it back and took a shaky breath. “Yeah.”

 

More silence. 

 

Harvey started tapping his fingers against the steering wheel but not to the tempo of the music. Seemed like a nervous tick. But he stayed quiet, letting Ed gather his thoughts. 

 

“Theres this guy in our anatomy class.” Ed began. “He doesn’t have the textbook either so I’ve run into him in the library using the school one a couple times. He’s a complete dick."

 

Harvey nodded along. “The one with the disco vampire hair?”

 

Ed snorted. “Yeah that one. How did you know?”

 

“He stares at us a lot. Don’t really like his vibes.” The car took an exit that just merged onto an even bigger highway. Ed had never ridden in a car over here, so he was completely lost. He hoped Harvey wasn’t.

 

“He stares at us? Why didn’t you say anything?” 

 

“Because I didn’t think it was that important.” Harvey’s fingers tightened on the wheel. Ed wouldn’t have noticed it if he hadn’t already been staring at the man’s hands. "Why, what did he do?"

 

“Well,” Ed took a deep inhale, steeling himself. “I went to the library today to use the public textbook, since you weren’t in class. He was there and he smoked a cigarette. Then he asked if he could borrow my notes and I said no because he was being rude to Kristen and then he said I annoyed you and you were having sex with me for my class notes so I slapped him and ran.”

 

Halfway through his info dump Ed had started crying again. But he just kept talking, being physically incapable of shutting up. He opened his mouth to continue but Harvey gently touched his shoulder. Ed looked over at him.  

 

Harvey’s eyes were locked on the road in front of them, but his eyebrows were furrowed furiously. His jaw kept clenching and unclenching in a staccato rhythm, while a vein bulged out of his forehead. He looked like a completely different person and Ed could do nothing but gape at the change.

 

“What did you say was this guy’s name again?” Harvey said softly. Ed swallowed thickly. 

 

“Oswald Cobblepot.”

 

“Hm.” Harvey hummed before whipping out his phone and typing something quickly. “Much to think about.”

 

Ed wiped his face with his already wet sleeves before huffing in annoyance. It wasn’t doing anything at all. Instead he opted to just stare out the car window  to try and hide his tears.

 

“You know it isn’t true, right?” 

 

“Yes Harvey. I’m quite aware we aren’t hooking up.” Ed deadpanned. 

 

“No not that you colossal moron.” Harvey groaned. He looked over at the passenger side and his eyes immediately softened, no longer the hard stare he’d had before. “That you annoy me. It’s not true.”

 

“Oh.” Ed wasn’t sure how to respond. “I’m glad.”

 

Most people told him quite the opposite and he had no reference for how one reacted to this. So he just fiddled with the buttons on his shirt. They were made of some cheap plastic and squeaked slightly if he rubbed hard enough. 

 

He looked up and saw that they were approaching the exit they’d gotten onto the highway on. They’d just ridden it in a huge circle around the city. 

 

“Ed we’ll figure out how we’re going to get back at this guy.” Harvey’s eyes never left the road but was losing the battle against a smirk. “Just leave it to me."

 

Unable to form a cohesive sentence that wasn’t just crying again Ed just nodded. 

 

Harvey pulled up and parked in front of Ed’s apartment building. There was an awkward silence as Ed tried to hide his face. 

 

“Ed I know you’re crying. You don’t have to hide it.” Ed gasped and faced Harvey. “Its going to be okay, I promise.” 

 

With the street light behind him, Harvey seemed to glow ethereally. He was smiling and before Ed even knew what he was doing he’d leaned forward and kissed him. 

 

Time froze as their lips touched and both men’s eyes were open and staring at each other. Harvey pulled away and coughed nervously. “Listen Ed-“

 

But Ed was already scrambling for the door. “I’m so sorry god I’m so stupid I don’t even know what-“

 

For the second time that night Harvey stilled Ed by grabbing his shoulder. It felt like his hand was burning through the fabric. It tapped him until Ed looked up and made eye contact with the bigger man. 

 

“I get it. You’re hurting and upset but I think this won’t end well for either of us.” His voice was slightly strained, but Harvey was doing a good job seeming casual. If Ed hadn’t spent the past four weeks with the man he probably would’ve missed it. “So lets just skip the drama and stay friends, okay? I really like where we are now.”

 

Ed nodded but more tears slipped out. This time they were from embarrassment as he was internally beating himself up for being so stupid STUPID!! 

 

“You’re not my type anyways.” Harvey said conversationally. “Plus its like really obvious you like this Oswald.”

 

Before Ed could open his mouth to protest, Harvey just held up his hand. “What he said was terrible and I’m going to do something about that but it’s clear you’re so hurt because you like him. Remember what I said? I’m good with people. Don’t insult my intelligence.”

 

Ed slowly closed his mouth and sat back in silence. There really wasn’t anything he could say to defend himself.

 

“This is actually a good segway to something I wanted to talk about once you calmed down a bit.” Harvey turned down the radio and turned to face Ed completely, who froze. “Can you introduce me to that guy at your coffee shop?"

 

Completely blindsided, Ed sputtered. “Which one?”

 

“Not the one with the blonde hair. He looks like one of those ‘marry my high school sweetheart’ types. The other one, with the messy suit.” Harvey rubbed his cheek thoughtfully and the stubble there scratched loudly. 

 

Ed chuckled, his eyes finally drying up. “Yeah the blonde is Victor. And you’re a little off, he met his girlfriend in elementary school.”

 

“Oh god,” Harvey cringed. “Thats like.. so intense.”

 

Ed decided to leave out the part where Victor’s girlfriend was currently dying in the ICU of Gotham general. It would probably kill the mood Harvey just saved after he almost ruined their friendship. 

 

“And the guy you’re asking about is named Lucius Fox.” Ed said smugly. He reached over and opened the car door. “He’s majoring in engineering and his favorite color is purple. You’re welcome.”

 

As Ed unfolded all of his long limbs out of the car he froze and turned back towards Harvey who seemed lost in thought. “And Harvey?”

 

The man turned back towards him. “Yeah?”

 

“Thanks for meeting me tonight. I just had to get that off my chest.” Ed closed the car door but Harvey rolled down the window. “And thanks for not being weird about me kissing you. I’m just going through a lot right now."

 

Harvey waved his hand as if he got randomly kissed all the time. “Like I said, no big. Take care Ed.”

 

He flashed one more bright smile before pulling off in his dad’s car that was worth more than twenty Ed Nygmas combined. 

 

For the first time in hours Ed felt like he could finally breathe. 


	6. the party

 

"How were you invited to this party before I was??" Ecco sighed loudly before dramatically falling on her girlfriend. "Am I no longer hip with the kids?”

 

A smile slipped onto Ivys face. "Youre still hip, babe. You just dont run in the same circles as Jim Gordon."

Ed said nothing, content to just sipping his macchiato. 

 

This was Harvey's big plan to get back at Oswald. Take Ed to a party and have him publically have fun with the guy Oswald had accused him of sleeping with. 

 

It was almost exciting, going to his first college party. Although Jonathan had thrown get togethers at their apartment, they never lasted long after Jerome and Jervis got into the alcohol. Ed had walked into Jerome butt-chugging fireball and had walked right back out, spending the rest of the night on a real estate website searching for another apartment.

 

But this party was being thrown by the most popular guy on campus, James Gordon. His dad was a famous police officer so they had a suuuper nice brown house just a couple train stops from campus. 

 

Any party thrown there was legendary, and whoever was invited had to know someone close to Jim. So it came as a surprise to Ed to hear that Harvey was actually pretty close with him.

 

"Yeah we've been in a bunch of criminal justice classes together. Strangely a lot of shared gen eds between the police academy and a pre-law degree." Harvey had said, laughing. "Man that guy is terrible at following directions, though.”

 

Ed straightened up and swirled the ice in his coffee cup. He always drank it too fast so there was just brown ice left over. 

 

"Ed how do you have an invite to this party? Its gonna be the biggest one ever!" Ecco whined, her blonde ponytails bouncing angrily. She crossed her arms and almost spilled her coffee before Ivy caught it quickly.

 

"Babe you know I'm invited too, and Im bringing you right?" she said gently, smoothing down Ecco's baby hairs by her neck.

 

"Really?”

 

"Yes," Ecco fondly whispered. "You know Oswald always drags me to these parties and I refuse to go alone with him.”

 

Ed stiffened at the name but pretended to be scratching his shoulder instead. No one seemed to notice. 

 

“Oh Oswald’s going?” Ecco sounded surprised and sat up. “Usually he blows these things off!”

 

Ivy rolled her eyes, seemingly forever annoyed with the man. “Yeah but he’s been weird lately. Really quiet and sensitive. He snapped at Barbara just for her heels being too loud.”

 

Suddenly the grain on the wooden floors was incredibly fascinating and Ed decided it was imperative to count every time the pattern repeated itself. 

 

“Yeah something is up with him. Did you see last week he had a huge bruise on his cheek? I thought he was better at makeup than that.” Ecco wondered.

 

So far there were 12 slats counted with 23 different patterns within the grain.

 

“Well putting makeup on a bruise is different than putting it on a hickey, bruises actually hurt babe.”

 

34 patterns. 

 

“Yeah but that wasn’t a hickey, that was like someone hit him. Plus I haven’t seen him get a hickey since the end of the semester.”

 

Ed stood up quickly and muttered something about forgetting his phone in the back room. He stumbled through the cafe. 

 

It wasn’t a real lie, since his phone was charging in the back. But the room had gotten instantly very hot and Ed felt like he’d just escaped with his life. 

 

Turning his phone back on, a bunch of messages from Harvey stared up at him. 

 

_HD: soo ed I got the official go ahead from Jim. He says don’t dress like a mannequin at goodwill_

_HD: it was a joke but I’m genuinely concerned you don’t own anything that isn’t plaid_

_HD: okay so maybe I’ll bring a jacket in my car just in case you show up in something dumb_

_HD: you aren’t answering so just let me know when to pick you up from work. If we’re going to sell this we need to rotl up together_

_HD: also don’t forget your side of the deal!! ; )_

Ed stared at the winky face. It stared back. 

 

His end of the deal. Make sure Lucius was coming. 

 

Which he was, actually. It had taken a lot of goading and reasoning before the man had sighed and closed his work laptop. 

 

“Fine.” He’d said, throwing up his hands. “I’ll come for a little bit. But only because I’ve been meaning to talk to Jim about an independent project of mine.”

 

Ed quickly shot out a text to Harvey, letting him know the store was closed. He left out the part where he’d decided to spend twenty minutes drinking coffee with Ecco and Ivy, who had wanted some caffeine before the big night. 

 

Ed had reminded them that coffee was a stimulant and alcohol was a depressant, they would cancel each other out. 

Ivy had muttered “Men talk too much.” 

 

This didn’t help Ed’s already wavering confidence. 

 

But he didn’t have any time to talk himself out of it as Harvey’s familiar headlights swung past the windows. The man leaned out of his window and laid on the horn. “You ready, Eddie?”

 

Ecco and (surprisingly) Ivy whooped loudly and pushed Ed towards the door. He almost tripped but righted himself indignantly. His self esteem kept taking blows and he wasn’t even at the party yet. 

 

The car honked some more and Ed shuffled into the passenger seat. “You don’t need to be so loud, Harvey.”

Harvey just stared at Ed, who was quickly turning red.

 

“Okay yeah Ecco threw some makeup on me. Can we go now?” 

 

“You’re gonna kill him, for sure.” Harvey whistled, putting his car in gear. “And if you don’t I will.”

 

Ed couldn’t figure out if he was joking or not so he just stared out the window. His reflection in the side mirror distracted him though. He’d never worn makeup and Ecco had practically broken the sound barrier with her screech that she just HAD to ‘doll him up’ for the party. 

 

Some concealer on old acne scars, subtle eyeliner, and brow filler had somehow turned Ed into a different person. He looked younger, and less like a middle aged professor stuck in a 21-year old’s body. The bruised and beaten confidence within him puffed up a little bit. Maybe he did stand a chance tonight. 

 

“Also Ed I can tell you didn’t read any of my texts,” Harvey said. He reached in the back seat and pulled out a plastic grocery bag. “You look like my grade school chemistry teacher.”

 

Ed looked inside the bag and saw a dark green t-shirt with faded writing and a black bomber jacket. He couldn’t think of what to say except “You took chemistry in grade school?”

 

“It was a rich person school or something. I also played cello but that’s besides the point. I need you to put those on or else I’m not sure Harvey will let you in the party.” 

 

Ed blinked. “But you’re Harvey. And you invited me.”

 

Harvey laughed and checked the rearview mirror before merging lanes. “Yeah those are true statements Ed but can I posit: there’s more men named Harvey than just me?”

 

The car was silent for a second as Ed berated himself and the plastic bag crinkled in his fingers. 

 

“Okay so last names, then. Harvey Bullock is Jim’s best friend and he usually ‘polices’ the parties. The joke there is he’s Jim’s partner in the academy so they’re basically inseparable.” Harvey winked. “You know how cops are.”

 

Ed looked down at the bag in his hands again and slowly pulled out the t-shirt. “So you want me to wear this so I look cool enough to get in?”

 

“Personally I think you’re cool enough already but yeah that’s the gist of it. Annoying societal norms and all that.”

Suddenly Ed paused in unbuttoning his uniform. “Is it okay if I change here?”

 

Harvey didn’t even look over, he just raised his hand to block his view. “Would this make you feel better?”

 

“Yeah.” Ed smiled. Even though he had an undershirt on, it still felt weird quickly switching shirts in Harvey Dent’s car as he drove them to the biggest party of the summer. That Ed was invited to. “Done.”

 

The other man slowly lowered his hand and grinned. “You look phenomenal, Ed. More suave but still… you.”

 

Ed pulled down the mirror above him and checked out his reflection. He looked like an actual person someone would want to talk to. The bomber jacket blended well with his dark wash jeans and made it seem like he’d actually put thought into the outfit beyond just getting out of work and wearing another man’s clothes. Ed blushed at that thought and pushed the mirror back up. “Thank you Harvey.”

 

“No problem, man. I know how nervous you are to face this guy again. But listen,” Harvey put the car in park and Ed realized they were down the street from a very lit up, very loud house. “I’ll be there the whole time and there’s nothing to be afraid of because you are in control.”

 

“I am in control.” Ed repeated. 

 

“Good.” No matter how many times it happened, Ed was always impressed with how blinding Harvey’s smile was. A true lawyer in the making. “Now lets go party.”

 

It was the shortest walk in the world, they might as well have parked right in front of the house. There were already people spilling out onto the lawn and Ed could see two pairs of legs sticking out of a bush. 

 

“Oh dear.” He sighed but Harvey pushed him forward. 

 

“Harvey!” Two men yelled at the exact same time and Ed whirled around.

 

A sturdy looking man was approaching them quickly. Or as quickly as he could without spilling the rather full blue plastic cup in his hand.

 

“Forgot you were coming, man!” The stranger yelled and quickly embraced Harvey. He turned to Ed and frowned. “And who’s this?”

 

“How many cups have you had already?” Harvey laughed forcefully. “I told you I was bringing a friend. Remember?”

 

The man, the other Harvey swayed for a second before smiling. “Oh yeah, the lab partner. Explains why he looks so dorky.”

 

Ed balled his fists and opened his mouth but his Harvey beat him to it.

 

“I think he looks great. Maybe you have- what’s the opposite of beer goggles?”

 

Other Harvey laughed and started walking away. “Yeah man, whatever floats your boat.”

 

They watched him go before Harvey turned to Ed. “I literally never want to work with him once I pass my bar exam.”

 

Ed snorted, suddenly feeling a lot better. Harvey was his friend. Well, this Harvey is.

 

Inside the house it was a lot louder and Ed had to cover his ears to keep from imploding in the sound. But he could still feel the bass thrumming in his feet and his chest and it was starting to freak him out. Ed tried to list the periodic table from memory to try and calm down but it wasn’t working. It was getting harder to breathe and he reached out and grasped Harvey’s checkered shirt sleeve.

 

The man grabbed Ed’s arm and pulled him through the hallway and onto the back porch where it was a lot quieter. Ed gasped in the fresh air and almost collapsed onto one of the chairs. “Thanks.”

 

“Yeah no problem.” Harvey said softly. “I forgot how overwhelming a first party can be.”

 

He glanced around before sighing loudly. “Ed I’ll be right back, let me get us something to drink.”

 

And suddenly Harvey was gone. Ed watched him disappear into the crowd beyond the glass door. 

Ed almost got up to follow him but realized that he probably would just freak out again and pass out on top of some freshman and look like an absolute idiot. And that was the exact opposite of what the plan was for tonight. 

 

There was a group of people in the other chairs next to him and Ed couldn’t help but overhear their discussion. 

 

“-well of course not. What else was I supposed to do?” A loud blonde was saying. She was practically laying in another woman’s lap and it was obvious they were both already fairly drunk. 

 

“Maybe try not screaming at him in front of everyone?” A well put together man next to Ed spoke up. He had glasses too, but his were round and framed his face much better than Ed’s. Or maybe he just had a nicer face. 

 

“No one fucking asked, Jeremiah.” The woman below the blonde snapped quickly before going back to soothing the blonde. “Jim still shouldn’t have yelled at Barbara.”

 

“All I’m saying,” ground out the boy, Jeremiah. “Is that you can’t start shit and then get mad that it blows up in your face. Thats poor planning.”

 

Before Ed could listen in more, Harvey returned with two cups. “Here we go, hoss. This should make you feel better.”

 

He handed the cup over and Ed took a sip before gagging. “Harvey this tastes disgusting.”

 

“Damn you really haven’t partied before, huh.” Harvey muttered before taking the cup back and downing half of it. He reached over to an unopened can of soda and refilled the cup. “There it should be less strong now.”

 

“Aw baby’s first alcohol?” The blonde from before cut in. She was grinning at Ed but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Experience told him that she was mocking him.

 

“Lay off him, Barbara. The kid’s obviously terrified.” Another in the group cut in, this time from a dark haired woman next to where Harvey was standing. 

 

“The kid has a name.” The law student cut in quickly. “And I’m sure you don’t appreciate people talking like you aren’t here, do you Ed?”

 

All eyes turned to him and to avoid answering, Ed downed his drink. It burned his throat and he coughed. A couple people laughed. 

 

“Anyways,” Jeremiah cut in. “Do you guys go to Gotham University?”

 

Harvey casually leaned against the back of Ed’s chair since the only other free one was right next to Barbara. “Yeah we both do. I’m going for pre-law and he’s going for forensics. What about you guys?”

 

It was almost impressive how Harvey smoothed over all of Ed’s social mistakes. The whole group had seemed aggressive at first, but once Harvey had taken over talking they were all smiling and nodding along. Ed felt the familiar feeling of envy wiggling in his stomach. 

 

Suddenly the alcohol didn’t taste bad at all. He wanted more. 

 

As if on cue, Harvey coughed behind Ed who jumped. He didn’t realize the man had gotten so close to him. 

 

“Hey Ed do you want another drink?” He whispered in his ear and Ed nodded quickly. 

 

“Maybe less soda this time? I think I’m getting used to it.” Ed said sheepishly and Harvey just clicked his teeth and winked before slipping back inside. 

 

Ed didn’t realize he’d been smiling until Barbara loudly asked “So how did you snag such a great guy?”

 

The smile was gone. “W-what?”

 

“Oh come on,” the blonde drawled before leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. “You’re like a four and he’s a solid ten. What’s the secret?”

 

That feeling wriggled in his stomach again. He opened his mouth to say something stupid but was cut off. 

 

“Yeah, what’s the secret?” 

 

It was almost unfair what that voice’s effect had. Ed’s entire body froze so he was left to helplessly stare as Oswald Cobblepot sauntered over and took the empty chair next to Barbara. It was now obvious that she’d been saving it for him and Ed somehow felt like an even bigger idiot than thirty seconds ago. 

 

There was a tense silence as Ed tried to calculate the statistics of a satellite falling and killing him instantly. The ratio wasn’t looking good. 

 

The glass door opened and Harvey backed out with six drinks balanced carefully in his arms. 

 

“I got everyone drinks.” His voice faded off as he felt the now chilly atmosphere of the porch.

 

“Not quite everyone.” Oswald said tensely. 

 

“Hm. So it would seem.” Harvey commented before passing out the drinks to each person around the table, except for the dark haired boy. “How unfortunate.”

 

Ed gripped his new cup with both hands, scared that his hands would shake. He was taking deep sips every couple seconds, the now familiar burn easing his tension slowly. He was starting to understand why so many people enjoyed drinking so much. 

 

“Now what were we talking about before I so rudely interrupted?” Harvey asked pleasantly. His hand gripped Ed’s shoulder comfortingly. 

 

“They were,” Ed ground out slowly. “Asking how a four like me could be dating a ten like you.” 

 

He couldn’t see Harvey’s face behind him, but he felt the man’s fingers tighten. “Interesting.”

 

It seemed like everyone else in the circle was content to just watch the drama unfold. Jeremiah looked bored while Barbara seemed absolutely enthralled. 

 

“Anyways,” Harvey said in a polite tone that Ed had learned meant he was holding back what he really meant. “Who chose the music in the living room? It’s absolute shit. Just because it has heavy bass doesn’t mean its automatically the best party song ever.” 

 

No one spoke so the music in question seemed louder. It really was just loud bass and random noise. Jonathan would’ve found it fascinating in how it impacted people’s psyches. 

 

“I think Zsasz is dj-ing.” The woman below Barbara spoke up. She sounded bored. 

 

“No Zsasz likes disco. He wouldn’t put this on.” The dark haired woman said thoughtfully. “But you’re right Tabs, he was supposed to be here. What happened?”

 

“Who cares?!” Oswald snapped. His eyes hadn’t left Harvey’s hand on Ed’s shoulder the entire time. “We asked a different question.”

 

“And,” Harvey said slowly as if he were talking to a ten year old. “I didn’t answer it. We’re on a different topic now. Catch up.”

 

Oswald stood up so quickly his chair fell backwards, causing Barbara and Tabitha to jump slightly. “Stop avoiding the question, Dent.”

 

“Stop prying, Cobblepot.” 

 

“Are you two together?!”

 

“What does it matter to you if we are?”

 

With each sentence spat, Ed curled in on himself and drank more. He hated yelling. He hated people arguing over him. He hated this.

 

“Oh my god!!” Suddenly Barbara interjected, cutting off both men. “I get it now! The reason you’ve been acting weird for weeks. Oswald you’re jealous!”

 

The song inside the house ended and there was a long beat of silence before the next one started. The calm before the storm. 

 

“Absolutely fucking not!!” Oswald screamed, rounding on Barbara who seemed unafraid. “Why the fuck would I be interested in him? He’s annoying and never stops talking and-“

 

Ed stood up and walked away quickly. He hoped no one saw his tears but Harvey’s expression said he did. 

 

It was rather impressive that Ed had escaped that quickly since once he was inside the house he realized that he was very intoxicated. It was hard to walk straight and he had to lean against the wall to even remain upright. But he needed to get away from the porch. 

 

Arms encircled him and Ed cried harder. 

 

“Shh,” Ecco whispered as she pulled him into a bathroom nearby. She held Ed as he openly sobbed, too tired to try and stop. She pet his hair as he listed off everything that upset him from Oswald to his neighbor’s dog that kept him up all last night. 

 

Someone knocked on the door and Ecco just yelled “Fuck off!” And the knocking stopped.

 

Ed felt absolutely exhausted and drained but eventually he stopped crying. 

 

“Thank you.” He said softly to Ecco who just nodded. 

 

“We all need a good cry in Jim Gordon’s bathroom every once in a while.” She smiled warmly.

 

The door burst open and Harvey flew in. “Edohmygodareyouokayimso-“

 

Ecco glared at him. “What did you do to my son?”

 

Ed made a mental note to talk to her about that when he didn’t immediately owe her his life. 

 

“I may have tried to make Oswald jealous to trick him into confessing his feelings for Ed but he just kinda…” Harvey trailed off and rubbed the back of his head. 

 

“Insulted him instead?” Ecco asked knowingly. Harvey nodded. “Yeah that sounds like him. What an idiot. Both of you.”

 

She glared at Harvey and the door, as if Oswald were standing behind it. Ed’s breathing hitched at the thought. 

 

“Maybe you both should back off and let Ed fight his own battles.” Ecco said. She sounded frustrated. 

 

“No Harvey helps me.” Ed muttered and finally sat up. Ecco wiped at his cheeks gently whispering about waterproof eyeliner. 

 

“Ed she’s right. I’ve been intruding myself into this too much. Hell, you actually like the guy and there I was riling him up to try and get a response. That was a lapse in judgement and I’m sorry.” Harvey looked genuinely hurt and Ed hated seeing him like this. He was used to the bravado and confidence, not this kicked puppy routine.

 

“If I accept your apology will you stop looking like that?” He asked and Harvey grinned sheepishly. “Okay fine. I accept, Harvey. Now aren’t you forgetting something?”

 

The man looked confused and now it was Ed’s turn to sigh at him. “I passed a certain coffee manager in the dining room who seemed like he needed a new drink.”

 

Harvey quickly processed this information before brightening up. He gripped Ed in a bear hug before whispering “If you need me, just call.” 

 

Suddenly it was just Ed and Ecco in the bathroom again. 

 

She rolled her eyes. “Men.”

 

Ed helped her stand up and fixed all the wrinkles that had formed in her clothes. He winced at the wet spot on her jeans from his tears. “I’m so sorry about that.”

 

“It’s okay,” she said nonchalantly. “No one is rude enough to ask a woman why she has a wet spot on her pants.”

Ed couldn’t argue with that so he just nodded. 

 

“And sorry for making you deal with me tonight.” Ed muttered.

 

“Ehh it’s whatever. I had to escape this weird guy who kept doing card tricks.” Ecco shrugged. “You going to be okay?”

 

Ed nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to try and actually enjoy myself.”

 

They grinned at each other before parting ways in the hallway. 

 

So it turned out that ‘enjoy myself’ meant get a lot more drunk in the kitchen. The party was at full swing in the living and dining room, so people would wander into the kitchen before realizing nothing was going on beyond a sad forensics student getting wasted and they would walk right back out. 

 

It seems that Zsasz had returned, because the music had become a lot better in the past hour. Ed actually recognized a couple songs so he could hum along in the empty room. 

 

He was playing a drinking game with himself that every time he thought of Oswald he would take a swig from the bottle he’d swiped from a side table in the living room. The party had tons of them, so no one had either noticed nor cared. 

 

Long story short, Ed was the drunkest he’d been in his life. Sure this was his first time drinking but he knew through his medical classes that he was beyond intoxicated. He couldn’t even really stand up by himself and was instead leaning against the counter facing the giant bay window overlooking the yard. People were milling around, talking. Everywhere but where Ed was. 

 

He took another swig of the clear liquid. His stomach started to protest again, so Ed reached over and took a bite of some spaghetti he’d made before he’d become too drunk to use the stove. 

 

Upon leaving the bathroom, Ed had wandered around the house before settling in the kitchen. It wasn’t hard at all to track down all the ingredients needed to make the dish. Every time he’d almost been distracted a voice screamed in his head ‘eat food or the hangover will be much worse’. 

 

As he took another bite, a voice interrupted Ed’s thoughts. 

 

“You are probably the only person I know who runs away from a party to make pasta in the kitchen.”

 

Ed didn’t even turn around. “Go away Oswald.”

 

“Now that isn’t nice.” He could hear the pout in his voice. 

 

“Neither is calling me annoying. Or saying I talk too much. Or-“

 

“Okay I get it. I haven’t been very nice to you.” Oswald’s voice was getting closer but Ed refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing his red, tear stained face. 

 

Ed made a noncommittal grunt and stabbed at the spaghetti next to him. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Oswald finally stood next to Ed before sliding down the counter until he was sitting on the floor. He looked up at him. “If that means anything, of course.”

 

Ed groaned before sitting down next to Oswald with his back against the counter. He put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes. “Why do you make everything so complicated, Oswald?”

 

“I’m not really sure.” The smaller man said quietly. “I have the worst temper. It flares up and I say and do the worst things. Most of the time I don’t even mean it.”

 

“That doesn’t excuse everything you’ve said.” Ed muttered. He was so tired of arguing with himself over whether he deserved what Oswald had said in the library or outside. 

 

“No it doesn't,” Oswald agreed. “But I’m using it more as an… explanation.”

 

A couple minutes passed as both men quietly drank their booze. The music in the other rooms was slowing down as it got later in the night. Ed found himself swaying to the beat and quietly humming along. This was one of his old favorites from high school. 

 

“Like that.” Oswald said suddenly, startling Ed. “That’s annoying.”

 

The taller man whirled around. “Is it impossible for you to go five minutes without insulting someone?”

 

Oswald held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I should’ve used a different word, then. Is distracting better? You’re distracting, Ed.”

 

Ed glared his eyes at the other man, trying to figure out what was going on. Was it a thinly veiled insult or not? Should he leave before he could ruin what was left of his night? “I don’t-“

 

“Are you and Harvey actually together?” Oswald interrupted, staring pointedly out the bay window, refusing to make eye contact.  

 

“You really are hung up on this, aren’t you?”

 

“Just answer the question.”

 

“Fine.” Ed groaned. He was so sick of this being a point of contention. “No we aren’t dating, we’re just lab partners. Are you happy?”

 

“I’m indifferent.” Oswald said spitefully, but his posture had relaxed and he barely hid a smirk. 

 

Ed decided to test the waters. “Since you’re so ‘indifferent’ then it won’t mean anything to you that we did kiss.”

 

Oswald spun around. “What?”

 

“Oh dear,” Ed froze. “I just realized that that was my first kiss.”

 

“Fuck that’s so annoying,” Oswald spit out. He seemed to be getting angry again so Ed did the only thing his alcohol-soaked idiot brain could think of. 

 

He kissed him. 

 

It was a quick peck but it shut Oswald up well enough. 

 

“It was kind of like that.” Ed said stupidly. 

 

Oswald laughed. “Thats not a kiss.”

 

“What do you mean? I know the definition and the examples in movies show that-"

 

Oswald crashed their lips together to shut him up and he suddenly understood. 

 

He understood why people spent hours pressing close. He understood what all the love songs on the radio were about. He understood what drove someone to kill to protect someone. 

 

He understood that what happened in Harvey’s car couldn’t even be qualified in the same category as this. This was completely different.

 

Oswald bit at Ed’s lips, causing the man to groan loudly. They licked into each other’s mouths as if memorizing the feeling. Ed took special attention to Oswald’s tongue, the object of so much destruction.

 

He groaned as Oswald pulled his hair, exposing his long pale throat. Oswald licked a long stripe up the side of his neck before placing an open mouthed kiss on an area right below Ed’s jaw. He sucked on the pulse point, before massaging the area with his tongue gently. 

 

Oswald continued worrying Ed’s skin for a while to the point where Ed knew for a fact he’d have a massive hickey. 

 

A voice in Ed’s head whispered that Oswald was marking him, staking his claim. This thought only made Ed groan loudly and before he knew what was happening, Ed was straddling Oswald’s lap. 

 

This new position made kissing the older man senseless much easier. It was emphasized their height difference with Oswald having to crane his head back to reach his mouth. 

 

His hands were grasping the smaller boy’s shoulders to stabilize himself. He carefully adjusted how he was sitting but the movement made Oswald release a shaky breath. Ed carefully repeated the motion.

 

Oswald reached up and gripped Ed’s hips, grinding them down harder. Both men moaned into each other’s mouths and Ed bit at Oswald’s lip, drawing blood. But the metallic tang seemed to drive them further over the edge. 

 

They broke apart, breathing heavily and Ed slid his hands underneath Oswald’s oversized black tank top, feeling the soft skin underneath. His stomach quivered under Ed’s feather light touches. 

 

“That’s a fucking kiss.” Oswald said between pants. “Don’t tell me you did that with Dent.”

 

“Nope,” Ed croaked. “This is a first.”

 

Oswald hummed contentedly before recapturing Ed’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is this fic just an excuse for me to write about Harvey? maybe so  
> did I finally give you some nygmob after being so patient for six chapters? mayhaps  
> did I psych myself out of some actual smut this chapter? but of course  
> also the song that plays that ed hums along to is 'tiny dancer' by Elton John, which I listened to on repeat while writing that whole part  
> as always, thanks for reading <3  
> ~ you can hear me scream about Harvey Dent on twitter @rossalghul ~


	7. that's pretty gay

Ed and Oswald stayed like that for a while, kissing for what felt like hours. They finally broke apart, breathing raggedly into each other’s mouths. 

 

Ed opened his mouth but Oswald’s hand slammed over it. Voices grew louder as a couple people wandered into the kitchen. Ed was suddenly incredibly grateful they’d sat down behind the counter, so they were hidden unless someone decided to walk to the breakfast table next to the window. 

 

“-Not really that big of a deal.” A male voice was saying. The fridge opened and there were a couple clinks as they took some bottles out. “I mean at this point I’m used to my house getting trashed.”

 

“Yeah but Jim you don’t have to keep inviting so many people every time.” A female voice cut in. Ed recognized it as Lee Thompkins, the student council president. She did a lot of volunteer work in the student life building and Ed had spoken with her multiple times when leaving the library. 

 

The first voice, Jim, sighed. “I never invite this many. People just show up.”

 

“You should at least start limiting who comes.” A gruffer voice cut in. It was Harvey Bullock, the man who’d ‘greeted’ Ed and Harvey Dent to the party. “Theres random kids here. Dent showed up with some scrawny-“

 

“I have no interest in policing my parties, Harvey.” Jim cut in, much to Ed’s relief. “I do enough of that at the academy.”

 

Harvey hummed before there were loud clangs. “Someone fucking made pasta. See what I mean? Weirdos.”

 

“You’re just jealous there isn’t any for you.” Lee teased. Jim laughed and the voiced faded away as they left the kitchen. 

 

Ed released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He looked down at Oswald, who seemed unimpressed. “What?”

 

The raven haired boy looked up before fixing his bangs. “Harvey gets on my nerves.”

 

“The inferior Harvey.” Ed hummed and Oswald scoffed.

 

“You’re bringing up Dent again?”

 

“He’s literally my only friend so yeah.” Ed muttered. He glanced up and saw that Bullock had thrown his spaghetti in the sink. There goes that.

 

“Thats not true,” Oswald said and Ed looked up at him. He opened his mouth to say making out didn’t suddenly make you friends but Oswald cut him off. “Ecco talks about you like, all the time.”

 

“Okay so I have like two friends. And an annoying roommate.” Ed said, rolling his eyes. “I feel so much better, thanks Oswald.”

 

“Always happy to help.” He smiled sweetly. “I would include me but I’ve been kind of a dick and we haven’t done anything crazy enough to call you a booty call.”

 

That made Ed scramble off his lap and try to stand up. Oswald laughed. “It was a joke, Ed. Jesus.”

 

Ed frowned angrily. “I don’t know what I see in you, honestly.”

 

“Obviously it’s my devilish good looks and my incessant negging.” Oswald slowly stood up too. He was handling his alcohol much better, because he even helped Ed walk to the other side of the counter slowly. 

 

“You should work on that. The insults aren’t helping you.” Ed said. “Actually if it were up to me I would’ve never spoken to you again after that last time in the library.”

 

Oswald hummed, fiddling with the rings on his right hand. “Yeah I should. My emotions are my weakness, I let them get the better of me.”

 

Suddenly he thrust his hand out towards Ed, who just stared at it. Oswald rolled his eyes and grabbed Ed’s hand and forced a handshake. 

 

“Hello?” Ed asked, bewildered. 

 

“Thats me making a promise to work on not treating you so badly. Not to be super gay but I don’t want to push you away. I like you or whatever.” Oswald was purposely glaring at the cabinets a couple feet behind Ed. His usually pale face was a deep pink and the contrast made his freckles stand out. Ed had never seen something so beautiful.

 

“Oswald,” Ed smiled widely. “That’s pretty gay.”

 

He leaned in and kissed the older man softly. Oswald reached up and fisted Ed’s hair, messing it up completely. But Ed couldn’t care because he was too busy humming happily. 

 

He wrapped his arms around Oswald’s neck, who deepened the kiss. Before it could continue , a loud gasp caused the two boys to break apart. 

 

Ecco and Ivy stood in the doorway, both in varying states of shock. Ecco was frozen, her empty water bottle hanging limply from her hand as her mouth opened and closed, reminding Ed of a fish gasping for air. Ivy recovered first, sighing loudly before taking Ecco’s water bottle to the sink to fill up. 

 

“Fucking finally.” Ivy said, mostly to Oswald who was turning red again. “If I had to listen to you complain about how ‘distracting’ Ed Nygma was for one more week I was going to move into Ecco’s dorm.”

 

“As if you don’t practically live with me already.” Ecco giggled, sweeping past the two men. 

 

Oswald whirled on Ivy, screaming obscenities and insults but the redhead seemed unimpressed. She quirked one eyebrow up and sipped her water.

 

“See Ed?” Ecco whispered, causing the taller boy to jump. He hadn’t realized she’d gotten so close to him. “He yells at everybody. Don’t take it personally.”

 

As Ed stood there, staring at the scene before him he couldn’t help laughing. The alcohol in his system thrummed loudly, causing him to almost fall over in tears. He grabbed the counter next to him to hold himself up. 

 

A stocky boy came in, and Ed recognized him as Victor Zsasz, Oswald’s lab partner. The bald man was wearing a matching black tracksuit, and there was Cheeto dust wiped on his thighs. “Yo what’s going on in here?”

 

Oswald stopped yelling to glance over at the newcomer. “Just yelling at Ivy. What’s up with you?”

 

Zsasz stretched before rummaging in the fridge for a drink. “Taking a break from the living room. Jim’s yelling at someone so it’s pretty loud in there.”

 

Ecco made an excited squawk and she rested her chin on Ivy’s shoulder. “What’s Jimbo upset about?”

 

A bottle cap clattered to the floor as Zsasz opened a beer with his pocket knife. He shrugged. “He found some guys making out in his bed and he seems super heated.” Zsasz nodded in Ed’s direction. “I think it was your lab partner?”

 

Ed grinned widely. So Harvey and Lucius had gotten along pretty well, it would seem. “I’m glad.”

 

Oswald was snickering behind his hand. “I’d pay to see Jim’s face when he walked in on that.”

 

“Yeah we get it, you’re still upset at him.” Zsasz rolled his eyes, downing the last of the beer. “Anyways, that law student isn’t super smart if he chose Jim’s room. He should’ve just fucked in the wine cellar like the rest of us.”

 

The DJ walked out, humming along to the song that was playing loudly. 

 

“What are you upset at Jim about?” Ed wondered loudly. 

 

Before Oswald could answer, Ecco spoke. “They used to date. It didn’t end well.”

 

Ed froze, somehow realizing he’d never thought about Oswald’s past relationships.

 

“‘Date’ is a strong word for ‘used me to experiment with men before ditching me to be with the valedictorian’”. Oswald muttered angrily before glancing at Ed’s expression. “But that was a while ago, I’m just petty.”

 

“I hadn’t noticed.” Ed hummed before checking his phone. “I should probably go check with Harvey, see if he’s alright.”

 

Now it was Oswald’s turn to frown at him. 

 

“He’s my ride.” Ed said quickly, typing a message to Harvey. “Also I need to give him his clothes back.”

 

“His… clothes?” Oswald’s eyebrows furrowed. “What-“

 

Ed froze, his brain screaming at him. Oswald didn’t need to know he was wearing Harvey’s shirt and jacket. There was already tension there. Just because they’d made out a couple of times didn’t mean Oswald was a different person. He was still incredibly jealous and short tempered. “I… borrowed his jacket for the party.”

 

It wasn’t technically a lie, but it also wasn’t the whole truth. Oswald hummed noncommittally. 

 

“Jesus Oswald chill out.” Ivy muttered and Ed jumped, forgetting her and Ecco were still standing by the sink. “Your jealousy really isn’t cute.”

 

Ed grimaced and checked his phone.

 

_EN: you okay? Heard Jim was giving you a hard time : /_

_HD: lmao yeah I’m cool. Got to hook up with Lucius soooo Jim can’t really ruin my night_

_HD: wbu?_

_EN: ...define hook up_

_HD: I literally can’t stop smiling I’m so happy for you, ed!!_

_EN: : )_

_HD: do you still need a ride home? We can talk about it then, if you want_

_EN: yes please! Meet you by the front door?_

_HD: sounds good to me, I’m already out front_

He put his phone away before making eye contact with Oswald, who seemed kind of embarrassed. “Remember your promise.” 

 

Oswald nodded sheepishly and followed Ed out the door towards the front of the house. 

 

The party was really dying down now, and most people in the living room were either passed out or visibly getting their stuff together. Zsasz was sitting on the couch, cuddling with a red head who looked somewhat familiar. Somewhere halfway down the hallway, Oswald grabbed Ed’s hand and pulled him to the side of the stairs. 

 

“I know we’re both fucking obliterated, but I meant everything I said tonight.” Oswald said softly. He looked up at Ed, his expression gentle. 

 

“Are you talking about when you called me annoying or the gay stuff.” Ed said and smiled at Oswald’s frown. He opened his mouth to speak but Ed cut him off with a kiss. He pulled back after a few moments. “Just joking. Can’t let you have all the fun.”

 

And that’s where Ed left Oswald, standing at the foot of the stairs touching his lips carefully. 

 

Ed walked out the front door and walked to where he remembered the car being parked. It was easy to find because Harvey and Lucius were in the front seats making out. 

 

Usually Ed would’ve felt uncomfortable but the combination of alcohol in his system and Oswald’s drying saliva on his lips gave him a boost of confidence. He just opened the back door and clambered in, sitting behind Harvey who broke away from Lucius to smile at Ed. “So, was your first party a success?"

Ed glanced out the window, seeing Oswald smoking a cigarette on the front porch. He was visibly scoffing at something the person next to him had said. It was so…. Oswald that it made Ed’s heart twinge. 

 

He smiled at Harvey in the rear view mirror. “Yeah, I think so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaand we finally get some more nygmob interactions.   
> I know Oswald seems like a huge asshole but with the way he acts on Gotham when he's a whole thirty year old man, imagine what he'd be like as a whole teenager. buck wild.   
> anyways, comments are always appreciated and thank you for reading!!


	8. first date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow two chapters in one night?? what goes on

A week later found Ed feeling like the biggest moron in Gotham. 

 

He’d really thought him and Oswald had made a connection at the party and yet here he was, alone on a Saturday night. He was curled up on the couch in his apartment, trying not to bang his head against the wall until he forgot the feeling of Oswald’s lips against his. 

 

“Dude,” Jonathan spoke around his popcorn, looking over at his disheveled roommate. “You need to get up and do something. I told you Jervis is coming over later and you do not want to be here when he is.” 

 

Ed groaned noncommittally, which made Jonathan pause the movie. Jerome made an angry noise before getting up to grab a soda from the kitchen. 

 

“I know you’re upset about Oswald but I’m telling you its for the better. That guy is bad news.” Jonathan was trying to cheer him up, but just the mention of Oswald’s name made Ed feel even worse. 

 

“How do you even know about me and Oswald?” Ed muttered. 

 

“Because everyone saw you making out at Jim’s party?” Jerome said, plopping down onto the other side of the couch. “It was kind of a big deal.”

 

Ed looked over at the redhead. “You were at the party?”

 

Jerome laughed maniacally. “Yeah? You saw me as you walked out. I was there with Vic.”

 

Suddenly Ed remembered seeing Zsasz curled up on the couch with Jerome. “Oh yeah.”

 

There was a beat of silence before Ed gasped loudly. “I met your twin!”

 

Jonathan and Jerome both scoffed. 

 

“Jeremiah?” Jerome questioned. “What a waste of space.”

 

“Fuck that guy.” Jonathan said loudly, unpausing the movie. 

 

“He seemed nice when I met him.” Ed said and Jerome laughed darkly. 

 

“Yeah that’s because you aren’t related to him. That guy genuinely ruined my life.” Jerome took a swig of his soda angrily. “I was practically normal before everything went down.”

 

Ed didn’t say anything. He was used to the eccentric man going through mood swings but this seemed personal. From the bits and pieces he’d overheard, it seemed like Ed had a lot more in common with Jerome than he’d ever care to admit. 

 

“Anyways,” Jonathan expertly changed the subject before the mood got too dark. “You guys gonna leave soon or do you want to watch me and Jervis fuck.”

 

Jerome shrugged. “Listen bro, whatever you guys are into is your own thing. But I’m not leaving until this movie ends.”

 

The two men devolved into arguing loudly over why Jerome should leave, since it was a DVD and he could just borrow it and finish the movie later. 

 

But Ed wasn’t really listening. He had no where to go, or at least nowhere he wanted to go. Harvey was out with Lucius, which knocked out two places and Ed didn’t want to go to the library. For once he felt too upset to study. 

 

Before he could spiral into a panic, the doorbell rang. 

 

“Damn,” Jonathan grunted. “Are you shits happy? Now I have to explain to Jervis why you’re still-“

 

But Jonathan stopped once he opened the door. The layout of the apartment made it impossible for Jerome or Ed to see who it was until Jonathan opened the door further. 

 

There in the opening stood a rather annoyed Oswald Cobblepot. He looked phenomenal in a crisp black suit and his hair was styled expertly into it’s usual spikes. Ed sat up quickly, getting caught up in his long limbs. 

 

“O-oswald?” He gasped. 

 

Jerome stood up first, welcoming the newcomer in. “Oswald, old friend! Would you like a soda? Sorry, we’re fresh out of beer.”

 

Jonathan shut the door, muttering “All I wanted was the apartment alone and look what happens…”

 

As Jerome left to get Oswald a soda he didn’t want, Ed attempted to fix his disheveled appearance. He’d been moping around the apartment all day, and his clothes were a mess of wrinkles. He looked up, only to make eye contact with Oswald who seemed to be drinking in his graphic t-shirt and navy shorts. 

 

“Can we talk?” Oswald asked, not breaking eye contact with Ed. “Privately?”

 

Jerome opened his mouth, having just returned with an opened bottle but Jonathan grabbed the redhead and pulled him back into the kitchen, mouthing ‘you owe me’ to Ed. 

 

“Sure.” Ed squeaked. His stomach was doing flip-flops and he had half a mind of feigning an illness so Oswald would just leave and let him freak out in peace. 

 

But instead, Oswald sat down on the couch next to Ed. He smoothed out his pants, as though afraid of them getting ruined from the lumpy leather sofa. 

 

Ed waited anxiously, but it seemed Oswald was gathering his thoughts. Finally, he spoke. 

 

“I apologize for not reaching out to you sooner.” He glanced at Ed, before continuing to stare at his hands. “I realize how nerve-racking it can be to be ghosted like that.”

 

Oswald held his hand up, stopping Ed from speaking. “No, it was stupid of me. I got caught up at work and lost track of time. I’m sorry, Ed. I’d like to make it up to you.”

 

Ed was frozen, staring at the man in front of him. 

 

“Would you go out to dinner with me tonight?” Oswald asked, finally making eye contact with Ed. “My treat, of course.”

 

There were a couple seconds as Ed processed what he’d said. “Dinner? With me? In public?”

 

Oswald made a pained expression, as if he couldn’t believe he was really having this conversation. “Yes? Like a date, Ed.”

 

“Say yes, you idiot!” Jerome yelled from the kitchen and Jonathan loudly shushed him. 

 

“Uh, yes?” Ed said and Oswald let out a breath of relief. 

 

“Okay, cool.” He stood up before glancing at Ed. “Uh, I only know places downtown so… did you want to change?”

 

Ed blushed before nodding quickly. He scrambled to his room, searching for the only suit he owned. His mom had bought it for him for his high school graduation. It still fit, but it showed a little too much ankle for Ed’s liking. But a pair of black socks usually solved that problem. 

 

When he got back to the living room, he found Jonathan pointing a finger at Oswald. “Don’t involve him in your bullshit, okay?”

 

Oswald pushed the finger away from him angrily. “As if I would, Crane. Why don’t you mind your own business?”

 

“When it’s my roommate it is my business, Cobblepot.” Jonathan spat. 

 

“If you pull any funky shit, I’ll cut your dick off.” Jerome called from across the room. He flashed a knife he was using to cut up a pear. 

 

Ed cleared his throat awkwardly, causing all eyes to flash towards him. Oswald’s expression melted from murderous to appreciative in seconds. “You ready to go?”

 

“Yeah Ed, get out of here.” Jonathan said, coming over to stand by Ed. He leaned in close and whispered “If you need anything, anything at all, just call.”

 

Oswald huffed loudly before grabbing Ed’s arm and pulling him out of the apartment. They silently walked down the stairs until they got outside. 

 

“Sorry about them.” Ed said sheepishly. “I’ve never seen them get like that.”

 

“They’re just looking out for you.” Oswald said. It was obvious he had more he wanted to say, but he was censoring himself. 

 

Ed opened his mouth to ask about it but Oswald held his phone up to his ear, effectively interrupting him. “Hey Butch, can you send a car to Western and Longcommon? Thanks.”

 

He put the phone down before turning towards Ed. “So have you just been moping all day?”

 

“No!” Ed said far too quickly, causing Oswald to chuckle. 

 

“Geez, Ed. I didn’t realize drunkenly making out at a party meant so much to you.” Oswald smirked at his date. “I’ll be sure to do it more often.”

 

“Although that was pretty significant,” Ed began. “The thing that really got me was the no contact for a week. So that’s the area we should focus on.”

 

“Fair enough.” Oswald nodded slowly before pulling out his phone again. “Do you want to give me your number, so we can avoid this moving forward?”

 

Ed grasped his phone and punched in his number carefully. Then he pressed the call button, so he would get Oswald’s number too. “There.”

 

He smiled, handing Oswald his phone back. He already felt better, having a way to contact him. 

 

Headlights rounded the corner before smoothly stopping in front of them. Oswald waved off the driver before opening the back door for Ed, who blushed. Once they were both inside the rather nice vehicle, Oswald spouted off an address and they were off. 

 

“So are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Ed wondered loudly, staring at the University Campus as it whizzed by. He could tell they were heading towards the bridge that lead downtown. 

 

“That’d ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it?” Oswald said. He seemed uninterested in both the car and the view outside the window. Ed got the impression he’d made this trip hundreds of times. 

 

Ed hummed softly, content to stare at the lights flying by. The city skyline loomed over them and before long they were sailing through the crowded streets downtown. After the fifth green light in a row, Ed started to think the car had a scanner that changed street lights. He made a mental note to pay more attention on the way back, as the vehicle glided smoothly to a stop in front of a rather fancy entryway. 

 

The entire front of the building was lit up with bright spotlights and there was a line tucking around the corner of people waiting to get in. Multiple voices cried out angrily as Oswald led them through the doors. Security just nodded at them and Ed gaped at the burly men. 

 

Oswald whispered a few things to the young host before they were whisked to a small booth in the corner of the elegant restaurant. 

 

Ed knew he looked stupid but he couldn’t stop staring at everything he walked past. A large stage stood in the front of the room and there was a small band playing an upbeat jazz number. Guests around the room were nodding with the beat and servers whipped expertly through the crowd. 

 

“Oswald how did you get us in here?” Ed sighed, taking in the moulding on the sconces behind their booth. “This place seems like one entree would be my entire tuition.”

 

The raven haired man was thanking the waiter for dropping off two wine glasses and a bottle before turning back to Ed. “One of the benefits of my job.”

 

He served them both out before taking a sip of his glass. Oswald hummed loudly before leaning his head on his hand to stare at Ed. 

 

“Oswald I’m only nineteen.” Ed began, fussing with the wine glass. “I’m not allowed to drink alcohol.”

 

“That didn’t seem to matter last week.” Oswald grinned, taking another sip of the red spirit. At Ed’s expression, he sighed. “Look, I promise you won’t get in trouble here.”

 

Deciding to trust him, Ed took a careful sip. He had to admit that the wine was delicious. It coated his tongue with a dry, sweet flavor that helped him relax. The thought that this is how Oswald would taste if they kissed entered his mind and Ed had to shake his head to focus on what the man in question was saying. 

 

“-so a teenager drinking is the least of their problems.” Oswald smiled over his glass before glancing down at the menu in front of them. “Did you decide what you wanted to get?”

 

Ed looked down before instantly paling at the small numbers next to the dishes. “Oswald I can’t possibly ask you to pay for this. We can go somewhere else-“

 

But Oswald held up his hand. “Seriously, Ed. Don’t worry about the price. We aren’t paying.”

 

Ed raised a single eyebrow. 

 

“Lets just say my boss owns this place, and I’m her assistant. Happy?” Oswald held up his hands and Ed slowly nodded. “Okay good. The filet mignon is to die for, if you want a suggestion."

 

“I’ll take that, then.” Ed closed the menu before straightening it carefully. “I trust your judgement.”

 

Oswald grinned. He ordered for both of them when the waiter came before ushering the man away. 

 

“So tell me more about your job.” Ed said, playing with the silverware on the table. He noticed Oswald stiffen slightly. 

 

“Oh like I said I’m just an assistant. My boss is pretty big in Gotham so I mainly deal with meetings and interviews.” He seemed to find the table cloth suddenly fascinating and Ed huffed. 

 

“Okay? So they just let you use their cars and restaurants for dates?” Ed pushed.

 

“Yeah.” Oswald continued. “I mean this is the first time I’ve called in some favors for dates. Usually I just take my mom to eat.”

 

“That’s nice of you.” Ed said, blushing at the idea of him being the only one Oswald has taken out like this. “Does she enjoy herself?”

 

“But of course.” Oswald said smoothly, fixing his black tie carefully. “And tonight I want you to enjoy yourself.”

 

Ed was sure his face matched the red napkins dotted around the large dining room. “Why are you doing so much? This is a first date, isn’t it customary for us to just go for coffee or frozen yogurt?”

 

“That’s so boring.” Oswald scoffed. “Plus I owe you for all the shit I said, so consider this a formal apology. I hope this ridiculously expensive steak helps with the emotional trauma.”

 

“Mmm.” Ed hummed. “I don’t know, I might need to have some of the fondu here to really heal those scars."

 

Oswald nodded sagely. “It’s to be expected. I’ll work it out with the chef.”

 

They made eye contact and devolved into giggles. Oswald hid his face behind the half empty wine glass. 

 

The two men spent the next thirty minutes talking about anything and everything. Two glasses of wine in and Ed found his anxiety disappearing. He talked for minutes on end about various topics. Where most people would sigh and complain about how much he talked, Oswald would just smile and sip more wine. Ed was starting to feel more and more comfortable with the man he’d once despised. 

 

Even when the steaks arrived, they continued talking animatedly. The waiter brought over another wine bottle and the couple continued their conversations. 

 

“One of the best parts of having a personal driver,” Oswald had said sagely as he refilled their glasses. “Is that I never have to worry about drinking too much.”

 

Oswald had been right about the filet mignons. They were one of the best things Ed had ever eaten and he decided then and there that he would trust Oswald’s opinion on anything. 

 

He could barely miss the steaks when the plates were swept away and the server brought a fondu pot filled with a creamy milk chocolate. Another server dropped off a plate of strawberries, marshmallows and small pastries to dip in the sauce. 

 

“Oh Oswald,” Ed gasped. “I was honestly joking about dessert.” 

 

The shorter man shrugged before spearing a small fruit tart on the end of his metal stick. “It sounded good, so I ordered it. If you don’t want any I’m sure I could finish-“

 

“No I can help!” Ed cut in, dipping a sliced strawberry in the chocolate before Oswald could. He shoved the stick in his mouth before yelping. “Ouch that’s hot!”

 

Oswald simply tutted before blowing on his chocolate covered pastry. “Seems I can add ‘idiot’ to the list of pet names for you."

 

Ed frowned. “Not appreciated.”

 

“Ou contraire,” Oswald said happily, pulling gout his phone. “I’m changing your name in my phone.”

 

Ed reached for the phone, but Oswald held it out of reach. 

 

“What happened to being nice to me?” Ed whined, still reaching for the device. 

 

“Ah ah,” Oswald wagged his finger. “I said that I’d work on being nicer. I’m still allowed to be a jerk every once in a while. And I’m cashing that in today to make your name in my phone whatever I want.” 

 

Ed crossed his arms and pouted. “Semantics.”

 

“Thats the name of the game, my dear Ed.” Oswald said happily as he typed away on his phone. “How else do you think I’ve survived so long in this city?”

 

This sobered Ed up slightly. “Is your job really that dangerous?”

 

His thoughts drifted to Jonathan’s words about Oswald working for the mob and his stern warnings back at the apartment. 

 

The man across from him shrugged. “For some. But I’m always one step ahead of everyone so they’ll never get me.”

 

This didn’t really help Ed’s anxiety over Oswald’s work. He’d seen the man come in to class a couple times with black eyes. It didn’t seem as cut and dry as he said. 

 

The server came along with the bill and Ed watched Oswald write ‘I’m Oswald Cobblepot’ on the signature line before standing up slowly. He stretched before turning to Ed. “You ready to go?”

 

Ed nodded, clambering to his feet. He grabbed his suit jacket he’d taken off for comfort once they’d gotten through the first wine bottle and it’d gotten very warm. 

 

They made their way through the large dining room before being stopped at the front door by a rather large man. He looked intimidating, but Ed was sure that was part of the job description. 

 

“Oswald.” The man said sternly. He barely glanced at Ed.

 

“I’m off for the night, Butch.” Oswald ground out. “Whatever it is, it can wait until morning.”

 

“Not this.” Butch said and the two men had a brief staring contest before Oswald held up his hands. 

 

“Fine. But let me say good night.” He turned towards Ed and opened his mouth before realizing Butch hadn’t moved. “See you in a minute, Butch.”

 

Finally getting the hint, the large man lumbered off through a door marked ‘private’. 

 

Oswald sighed before pulling Ed into a corner. “I’m so sorry about this, Ed. But duty calls.”

 

Ed nodded, trying to mask his disappointment. “Well I had fun Oswald. Really.”

 

“Would you want to maybe do this again?” Oswald asked carefully. He looked up hopefully. 

 

A smile crept onto Ed’s face. “Of course. But maybe text a bit sooner?”

 

“Definitely. It helps that I actually have your number now.” Oswald said before touching the pocket his phone sat in carefully, as if making sure it was still there. 

 

“It is a shame, though.” Ed sighed and Oswald’s head tilted slightly. 

 

“What is?”

 

Ed leaned in closely until his mouth was right next to Oswald’s ear. “I was planning on seeing if we both had the lung capacity to kiss for the entire ride home."

 

The shorter man shivered but it had nothing to do with the temperature. “I propose we postpone that experiment. I’m very interested in the results as well, you see.”

 

Ed grinned before Oswald grabbed his sweater and pulled him in, smashing their mouths together. Instantly Ed’s hands went to Oswald’s hair, running his fingers through the long strands. The man groaned in annoyance but didn’t stop him from ruining his hairstyle. 

 

Butch appeared behind them, awkwardly clearing his throat. “It’s kind of a time sensitive situation.”

 

Oswald held up a finger before stealing a few quick pecks from Ed. “Good night, Ed.”

 

“Good night, Oswald.” Ed ground out, trying to fix his shirt. 

 

He watched Oswald’s expression shift into annoyance as he followed the lumbering man through the private entrance. 

 

Ed’s phone buzzed and he glanced down, smiling. 

 

_OC: there’s a car waiting for you out front. They already know your address._

_OC: sorry i had to help out at work. That’s what I get for taking you to a place my boss owns_

_OC: get home safe._

Indeed there was the same car parked out front except Ed felt incredibly awkward crawling into such an expensive vehicle by himself. But the driver just glanced at him in the rearview mirror before pulling off towards the way they’d come. 

 

Ed couldn’t stop smiling the entire ride home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> while I could not provide 'obsessed ed and unaffected oswald' that merc and I always talk about, I did double down on ed's proclivity to be an absolute sugar baby.  
> and look! a whole chapter without harvey. aren't you all proud of me?


	9. exposed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmm I feel obligated to tell y'all that this chapter has violence in it.
> 
> nothing crazy by Gotham standards but this is a fair warning

 

Ed’s leg was tapping in an even rhythm, keeping time with his bouncing mechanical pencil. He glared down at the study guide in front of him, as if by staring at it long enough he would remember the different vena cava faster. 

 

Harvey collapsed in the booth across from him, two coffees in hand. “Okay, what chapter are we on?”

 

“Sixteen.” Ed said without looking up. He highlighted another passage in Harvey’s textbook. The other man just nodded and sipped his americano. 

 

“The circulatory system.” The law student said as if just knowing the chapter title was impressive. He groaned loudly. “Ed the second I pass my bar the first thing I’m suing is my brain. I can’t believe I can memorize law textbooks but can’t tell the difference between an ulna and a tibia.” 

 

Ed smiled, finally looking up from the book. “Maybe you just have a special brain? One side is stronger than the other?”

 

“I mean maybe,” Harvey sighed. “I am incredibly good at stupid things.”

 

“Oh?” Ed grinned even wider. “Like what?”

 

“Liiiiike,” Harvey pretended to think. “Getting my anxious lab partner some action?”

 

Ed blushed a deep peach. Before he could defend himself, the front door opened with a ding and a group of people walked in. Ed recognized them as Jim Gordon, Lee Thompkins, Jeremiah Valeska, and a black haired woman. 

 

Harvey beckoned them over and most of the newcomers came over immediately while Jim followed with a grimace. “Hey guys! Wanna sit with us?”

 

And suddenly their small booth was cramped. Ed was pressed up against Lee and he couldn’t help but notice that she smelled incredible. 

 

“Hello Harvey.” Jim ground out, pretending to stare at his phone. Lee slapped him slightly and he frowned. 

 

Harvey shot off a text of his own before facing the disgruntled upper classman. “Listen, I already apologized for making out in your room. Can I get you a coffee as a peace offering?”

 

There was a staring match while both men held a war of the minds. Jim’s eyes narrowed. 

 

“Buy one for Lee too and you have yourself a deal.” 

 

Harvey thrust his hand forward and they shook on it. Just then, Lucius approached the table carrying three more coffees of different types. He smiled apologetically at Jim before leaving to go do more paperwork. 

 

At Jim’s shocked expression, Harvey grinned. “One of the benefits of hooking up with the manager. Fast drinks.”

 

“Thank you, Harvey.” The black haired woman smiled warmly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Ed was intimidated by this mystery woman. 

 

“Yeah thanks.” Jeremiah held up his cup and nodded. He sipped it quietly while Ed just stared at him. Was this man really as bad as Jerome said he was? 

 

But his musings were interrupted by Lee leaning over and grabbing the anatomy book. “Oh! So the lab you share with Harvey is for anatomy?”

 

She seemed interested and started flipping through the pages. She whistled, impressed with the level of annotations. “I take it this is your work Ed?”

 

The forensics student smiled sheepishly before nodding. 

 

“Oh come on,” Harvey said loudly. “Say it like it is, Ed. You’re getting me through this class. I swear Lee I don’t see how you do it, the body is a carnival of horrors and frankly, I’m ashamed to have one.”

 

Once again Harvey’s ramblings set everyone on ease and even made the black haired woman chuckle. 

 

Ed turned to Lee. “You’ve taken anatomy 1500 before?”

 

Jim scoffed but Lee shushed him. She turned back to Ed with a proud smile. “Yeah I’m halfway through my major with an emphasis on pre-med. I took this class my first semester.”

 

Jeremiah seemed bored with the conversation, going on his phone to lazily scroll through a news feed. 

 

“Wow!” Ed said. “So you can help me with this study guide, then?”

 

Lee smiled before looking down at the diagram. “Ed this is basically filled out. What do you need help with?”

 

“No look,” Ed started, pulling out the other page filled with the different components of blood. “I’m having difficulties with the ratios of the different leukocytes-“

 

And so the two students ignored the rest of their group to study for Ed’s midterm. Harvey cut in every couple minutes to show off a fact he’d memorized but ultimately he just couldn’t keep up with the two. 

 

Instead Harvey, Jim, Jeremiah, and the black haired girl (Sofia Falcone, Ed had learned later) talked about the latest in college gossip. Oswald’s name was brought up a couple of times by the Falcone but both Ed and Jim pretended not to hear it. 

 

A couple times Lucius stopped by with a pot of coffee to refill the cups anxiously. But his hands would stop shaking every time he made eye contact with Harvey and they would smile softly at each other. 

 

Ed took a moment to sit back and take in his surroundings. This was the first time since the party that he’d been surrounded by people, and the first time ever that he felt like a real college student. 

 

He wasn’t forced to be drinking at a loud party, wading through the throngs of gyrating young adults. He was at a cafe studying with the valedictorian and her popular friends. 

 

He closed his eyes and pretended that this was normal. That these people were his friends and they would always study together. It’s a beautiful picture, ruined only by the tense tone when Jim or Jeremiah spoke. It was clear they hadn’t planned on staying this long, only following Lee to be polite. Sofia hadn’t stopped smirking since the gossip had started. 

 

“Oh so THATS why your body reacts like that.” Ed gasped, feeling humbled by Lee’s knowledge. 

 

“Exactly.” She smiled before finishing up her coffee. Jim seemed to take that as a queue and swiftly stood up. 

 

“Alright are we all ready to go?” He asked and Sofia and Jeremiah stood up too. They all looked expectedly at Lee who rolled her eyes at her boyfriend’s impatience. 

 

“Here’s my number Ed. Just let me know if you need any more help.” She said, scribbling a ten-digit number on the back of the study guide. “Good luck on your midterm.” 

 

Ed could only mutter a soft “Thanks, Lee.” Before the gaggle of seniors left the coffee shop. 

 

“Welp Ed this has been fun,” Harvey began and Ed just looked up at him. “But Lucius and I actually have a date so I’m just going to leave you to it.”

 

There was a pause before a grin snuck onto Ed’s face. “You know what Harvey? I do too.”

 

* * *

 

 

Of course Oswald didn’t know they had a date, but Ed was determined to see the shorter man. 

 

He’d been incredibly busy at his work, only having time to text Ed. But whatever conversations they had made Ed’s heart flutter. Their topics ranged from complaining about work to arguing over what was the best Chinese restaurant in Gotham. 

 

But Ed was tired of texting and decided to just surprise Oswald at work. He’d already found out what restaurant he was working from tonight, so Ed just had to get dressed and find a way into the fancy building. 

 

Of course this was easier said than done Ed realized as he stared at the comically big guards by the front door. Why was there so much security for a restaurant? He shrugged before making his way to the alley in the back. 

 

It had rained the day before and there were still large puddles on the road. They reflected the streetlights, making the alley seem more magical somehow. Ed snorted at his train of thought and shook his head. Did the idea of seeing Oswald really make him this whimsical? 

 

A noise made Ed jump and he instinctively hid behind one of the large trash cans. 

 

A group of men walked out, followed by a woman who Ed immediately knew was Fish Mooney. He’d never seen her before, but the way she walked and the fear in everyone’s eyes when they looked at her was proof enough. This woman was one of the most powerful people in Gotham and she knew it. 

 

“I remember when I picked you up off the street,” Mooney drawled, seemingly heartbroken as she talked to the man crouching on the floor. “You were so young. But I took you under my wing. Clothed you, fed you, and raised you up in my business.”

 

She was pacing in front of the man, who had started sobbing. The men surrounding them were looking away, but they each held a gun in their hands. 

 

Ed realized he was stuck here. If he moved they would all see him and he didn’t know what they would do. This wasn’t really something random people were allowed too see and walk away from. 

 

“But how did you repay your mama’s kindness?” Mooney continued and her voice took on an edge that made Ed’s skin crawl. She leaned in close and whispered loudly, “You thought I wouldn’t find out you were stealing from me?”

 

Suddenly the door to the restaurant open and Ed almost cried out. It was Oswald but he looked different. 

 

His hair was still done up in that obnoxious way that Ed loved, and he was wearing a suit similar to the one he’d worn on their date. But it was his expression that made Ed shut his mouth and slink further behind the garbage can. Oswald’s face was cold, his eyes piercing. He had a sinister smirk that split into a full blown smile as his eyes locked on the man sobbing on the floor. 

 

“Cobblepot? You-“ the man on the floor called out, reaching for Oswald who just smacked his hands away. 

 

“You really thought I was on your side, Smith?” Oswald was grinning maliciously at the man while Mooney had stepped back to watch the show. “You really thought I would betray Ms. Mooney for your money? That I would betray her at all?”

 

The man, Smith, seemed to realize just how much trouble he was in because he made a move as if to stand up. But Oswald was prepared with a metal baseball bat and brought it down on the man’s leg. There was a sickening crunch and the man cried out. Ed had to cover his mouth with his hand to silence his gasp.

 

“Did Ms. Mooney say you could get up?” Oswald asked, leaning over so his face was next to Smith’s. The man was too busy sobbing over his broken leg to answer, so Oswald turned to Fish. “Did you say he could get up?”

 

“I don’t recall saying he could.” Mooney said smoothly. She looked at Oswald fondly, like a mother looks at her child. 

 

“So first you steal her money and now you openly defy her?” Oswald said slowly as if he were trying to rationalize what he was saying. “In front of me?”

 

“I don’t know if you knew this,” Fish cut in and Oswald immediately stepped back so she could take center stage. “But Oswald is my assistant. One of the most loyal people in the city. And trust is so hard to come by in Gotham.” 

 

Oswald’s smirk was back as he preened at Fish’s praise. Ed recalled the way he talked about his boss, realizing slowly that what Fish was saying was true. HIs stomach started sinking and Ed suddenly felt nauseous. 

 

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Fish asked.

 

Smith sobbed. “I’m sorry Fish-“

 

Her eyebrows raised and she opened her mouth but before she could say anything there was a gunshot. Smith slumped over, lifeless, as Oswald put away his pistol. “Only her friends get to call her that.”

 

Mooney looked pleased before glancing at the largest man by the door. “Butch clean this up. I’m sick of looking at him.”

 

She disappeared back into the restaurant and was followed by everyone except Butch and Oswald. So all those men were just her body guards. 

 

Oswald was still standing over Smith, staring at the body. He stepped back so that the pool of blood wouldn't ruin his shoes. “You know Butch? I think its going to be a good night.”

 

His voice had switched from the cold drawl back to what he normally sounded like. What Ed was used to hearing. 

 

Suddenly the magnitude of what he’d just seen crashed down on the forensics student. The duality of Oswald Cobblepot was sending his mind into a tailspin with flashes of memories. 

 

Oswald holding the door open for him. Oswald’s expression after they kissed at Jim’s. Oswald’s laughing at Ed burning himself on fondue. Oswald breaking a man’s leg for moving wrong. Oswald kissing him goodnight. Oswald sending him bored selfies from work.

 

Oswald shooting a man in cold blood. 

 

Ed scrambled away from the scene, not caring if his cheap dress shoes scraped on the pavement. They did.

 

Both Butch and Oswald looked up at the sound. The streetlight finally lit up Oswald’s face, exposing the streaks of blood he’d gotten hit with from shooting a man three feet in front of him. He gasped. “Ed?”

 

But Ed was sprinting away, as fast as his long legs could take him. Tears were forming in his eyes as he heard Oswald call after him. 

 

But he didn’t stop. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp I guess Ed knows what Oswald does for his job now. 
> 
> come yell at me on twitter: @rossalghul


	10. fuck off

Oswald Cobblepot knew everything. It was his job. 

 

He could tell you which distributer on the west side was skimming off the top or who had killed the body found that morning in the cannery over on Lake street.

 

But for some fucking reason he couldn’t figure out what to say to Ed. 

 

He was currently pacing outside the tall man’s apartment building. A cop had already looped around the block twice, obviously suspicious of the dark haired man. But he just glared at the patrol car and it sped away. 

 

Oswald cracked his neck before muttering “Fuck it” and limping inside the building. 

 

Of course the elevator was broken so he had to force himself up three flights of stairs. By the time he’d reached the top he’d already let loose every curse word he knew and a few made up ones for good measure. An old woman had been grabbing her newspaper and blushed at the colorful language before ducking back inside her door. Oswald felt a twinge of regret, thinking of how his mother would’ve reacted similarly. 

 

He’d barely knocked on the door before it was whirled open. 

 

Jonathan Crane, Ed’s annoying roommate was standing there holding up a wooden spoon as a weapon. “You have a lot of fucking nerve, Cobblepot.”

 

Oswald ignored him, glancing inside the apartment to try and catch a glimpse of green. No luck.

 

“He isn’t here, dickhead.” Jonathan ground out before trying to push the door shut again. But Oswald stuck his good foot through, making it impossible. 

 

“I know he is, just let me explain myself to him. He deserves-“

 

“Better than you!” Another voice joined in. Jervis Tetch walked into the living room in an oversized Gotham University hoodie and boxers. “I don’t even know what’s going on but I side with Jonathan.”

 

“Yeah you and Scarecrow fuck we get it but I really need to talk-“

 

“Cobblepot’s here?” Another voice called out.

 

“Jesus how many people live here-“

 

“I warned you, Penguin.” It was Jerome who was striding out of the kitchen with a large paring knife. “You made the kid cry so say goodbye to your dick.”

 

Oswald stepped back which made Jonathan yell triumphantly and the door slammed shut. He turned to leave, opting to try calling Ed another twenty times before the sound of the door creaking open made him stop. 

 

It took everything in him not to reach out to Ed who was standing in the doorway wrapped in a brown plaid blanket. The taller man had a blank expression and just walked back inside his apartment, leaving the door open behind him. 

 

Oswald tentatively followed, spitefully staring down Jerome who had decided to dramatically chop bananas in the hallway. 

 

Once the door was shut behind them Oswald let out a heavy breath. “Ed your roommates are a lot.”

 

“You know what else is a lot?” Ed muttered from the bed where he’d immediately collapsed into. Oswald couldn’t even see his face beyond the nest of blankets. “Seeing your kinda-boyfriend kill someone in an alleyway outside where you had your first date.”

 

Oswald sighed. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

 

Ed didn’t say anything so Oswald continued. 

 

“My job isn’t all I’ve told you it was. What was I supposed to say? ‘Hi Ed thanks for giving me a second chance also fun fact I’m super high up in the Falcone crime family. Pass the bread.’ You would’ve called the cops on me.” Oswald sat down on the edge of Ed’s bed, his leg starting to bother him from all the exercise. 

 

There was a muffled noise and Oswald had to move some of the blankets to get to Ed’s face. “What was that?”

 

“I wouldn’t have called the cops.” Ed repeated, still refusing to make eye contact. 

 

“Ed your best friend is practically a lawyer and you were just hanging out with junior cop Jim.”

 

“How do you know I was with Jim that day?” Ed said quietly. He seemed to be picking at lint on his sweater sleeve. 

 

“Honestly? I’ve had you followed. Since Jim’s party.” Oswald admitted. Now it was his turn to avoid eye contact as he stared intently at Ed’s overstocked bookcase by the window. 

 

“Why?”

 

“I didn’t want anyone from work to use you to get to me.” 

 

The room was completely silent. So silent that Oswald could make out Jonathan pacing the living room and Jerome’s manic laughter. It seemed that Jervis was trying to distract them both but it wasn’t going very well. 

 

“You were… trying to protect me?” Ed asked and Oswald almost groaned in frustration. 

 

“God you’re one of the dumbest geniuses I know.” 

 

“You’re being mean again.”

 

“Yeah because you frustrate me, Edward Nygma.” And Oswald stood up to pace, his limbs feeling like they were going to jump off his body. “You and your stupid face and your stupid voice and the way that you know everything about the world but not how it works and how you see the good in everybody and how you made me feel like love is real and-“

 

He was cut off by Ed kissing him forcefully. Usually when they kissed Oswald set the pace. But now it was like Ed had something to prove, something to say with his lips. 

 

Oswald stumbled backward and fell onto Ed’s desk, knocking some papers to the floor. But Ed didn’t seem to mind because he pushed even harder, lifting up Oswald’s right leg and holding it carefully. 

 

“Does it still hurt?” Ed asked and it took a couple seconds for Oswald to remember where he was. 

 

“My leg?”

 

“Duh.” Ed smirked, rubbing his hands over the injured knee. “Don’t think I didn’t see how hard you were limping.”

 

“Yeah well the elevator was broken.” Oswald muttered, embarrassed. 

 

“How unfortunate.” But it didn’t seem like Ed was surprised or felt too bad. Actually it seemed like-

 

“Did you break the elevator??” Oswald shouted. Ed just continued massaging his leg quietly. “Ed what the fuck?!”

 

“Well I thought it would deter you.” Ed muttered. “I didn’t really think you’d climb all the way up for me.”

 

“Ed your stupid is showing again.” Oswald said, grabbing his boyfriend’s shirt roughly. “I would do anything for you.”

 

He pulled Ed up to his feet and smashed their mouths together again. But Ed refused to let the shorter man take control, instead giving as good as he got. He poured all of his feelings into the kiss, showing Oswald what he couldn’t say. 

 

Oswald felt tears on his cheeks and he couldn’t figure out if they were his or Ed’s. Both men were falling apart, held together by their embrace. 

 

A loud knock on the door made both men break apart and stare at the intruding noise. 

 

“Hey Ed knock once if we need to save you and twice if you’re getting laid.” Jervis’ voice almost echoed through the wood. 

 

Ed knocked on the wall twice at the same time that Oswald yelled “Fuck off!”

 

There was a loud sigh and Jervis’ footsteps disappeared down the hall. 

 

“You can’t complain about how they treat you when you’re just as mean back.” Ed said, playing with Oswald’s long bangs. 

 

The shorter man scoffed. “They put me through a whole routine just to get in. I felt like I was back at the GCPD.”

 

“You’ve been taken to the police station?!?” Ed’s surprise was endearing and Oswald felt his heart twinge in a specific way that only happened around the forensic student below him. 

 

“Ed I’m realizing we have a lot to talk about."


End file.
